"Blossoming Attraction"
Sakura heard her door being opened slowly the next morning. It did not take a genius to know who it was though. She just did not want to get up because she had not been ready to yet. It was probably only 5:30 in the morning that she was being forced to get up again. This was probably going to be the only downfall of staying in the house.
She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Looking at the alarm clock standing on the dresser caused her to groan when she saw the time. It was only 5:15am...
She had 15 more minutes to sleep and the little boy was taking that away from her. Couldn't he sympathize for her a little bit, she longed for.
"Sakura…"
She looked at him peeping behind the door at her. He looked so adorable that her own tiredness was forgotten. "Come here, baby."
He opened the door all the way and walked inside. He climbed on her bed and crawled into her out-stretched arms. She wrapped her arms around him loosely as he rest between her legs. "What's wrong?"
He turned and looked up at her. "I had a scary dream, so I..." He blushed, looking down at his lap.
"You what, honey?"
"I peed the bed…I'm sorry! I swear I didn't do it on purpose. The dream was just so scary, and I don't know how it happened, it just happened and—"
She giggled and looked down at his clothes, noticing they were different from the ones she had put on him last night. "You changed your own clothes?"
"Yes…I didn't want anyone to go through the trouble to clean me up," he said, sheepishly.
"Xing, you don't have to feel bad about something like this. Besides, it wasn't your fault, you had a nightmare. How about we go and get you cleaned up? Then we can go and watch some pocoyo, was it?" she said, running a comforting hand through his hair.
He smiled and nodded. "Yes! Daddy is awake, so maybe he can watch it with us."
She froze at the mention of the man. Why could she not get a break from him?
"Alright, come on now." She lifted him so they could both climb off the bed together.
They walked out of her room and down the hallway to the bathroom with Xing holding on to her arm. She pushed the already cracked door open.
"Daddy!"
She looked up and almost gasped at the sight before her. Her cheeks burned as she tried to keep her eyes focused on his face instead of his bare, muscled torso.
Xing loosened his grip on her hand and ran over to his dad, hugging his leg tightly. He was soon hauled off the floor into the man's arms.
"What are you doing up this early?" Syaoran asked, looking his son in the eyes.
Xing had blocked the view from her wandering eyes, thankfully. "Well...Sakura was going to take me a bath. I made an accident in the bed."
Syaoran's attention directed to her. "How did that happen? I thought I told you to go to the potty when you have to use it. And before bed," he said softly.
"I don't know how it happened—I had a bad dream and it scared me. I'm sorry, Daddy…"
Syaoran ruffled the little boy's hair and sat him back down on his feet. "How about I get you all cleaned up and she gets your bedcoverings washed?"
"Okay! Can you watch pocoyo with us this morning after I get all cleaned?" Xing looked at him, pleadingly.
She closed her eyes, silently praying that he would say no. What luck had been on her side lately though?
"I can for a little while, but I have to get to the office early this morning."
"Aww, you work so much, Daddy."
Syaoran reached down and turned the knob in the tub. "I know, but I said I'd make it up to you, remember?"
"Yes, I can't wait either!" Xing said, excitedly.
Whatever was said after that was missed because her eyes and mind were too occupied with the way his biceps flexed while reaching down. He stood up straight and her eyes looked down to the well-defined abs on his stomach. Something kept telling her to look away before her eyes traveled lower to the 'v' that met his pants, but she found it hard to.
She heard someone clear their throat and looked in the direction of it to see that Syaoran had turned to her with a knowing look on his face.
"I-I'm going to go and—the bed-coverings! Yes, those need to be cleaned. I'm going to…yeah."
She left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She could not figure out what was wrong with her. She had seen plenty of males without a shirt. She lived with two men who kept up with themselves, for Christ sake, so she could not understand why she felt all hot and bothered by this one.
She lifted herself from the door and started walking down the hall to Xing's room. She pulled the sheets off the bed and went to the laundry room to wash the covers.
She had already known that he was handsome under the suit, but to see the real thing was completely different. Why did he act like it was normal to walk around without a shirt on anyway?
It is his house, her annoying conscious reminded her.
She took one last deep breath and let it out before walking out of the laundry room to the living room, hoping that they were not there yet. She was not the luckiest girl on this earth, so guess what she saw?
Xing and the man she was just thinking about, sitting on the couch watching the TV.
Xing turned around and smiled widely. "Come on, Sakura! We just turned it on. Sit by Daddy and me!" he said excitedly.
She walked over to the couch slowly. He attempted to pull Syaoran over to give her side. "You sit by Daddy."
She sat down beside him, being sure to keep space between them. Thank goodness the man had put a shirt on while she was gone.
"Did you tell her yet, Daddy?" she heard Xing whisper.
Syaoran looked at him curiously. "Tell her what?"
Xing leaned up and whispered something in his ear that she could not catch.
"Kinomoto," he called after a moment of silence in the room, with the exception of the TV.
Having being over her flustered state, she turned to him, looking at him questioningly.
Her insides churned when his eyes set her in a trance again. "You don't have to do this with us—"
"But I would be really happy if you did, Sakura," Xing interrupted.
"Xing," Syaoran called sternly.
Xing sighed. "Sorry, Daddy..."
"Before school starts, I'm going to take Xing to Disney World. It's optional for you to go, but I still wanted to extend the offer to you."
She stared at the man shockingly, not believing what she had just heard. Was he really inviting her to go on their family vacation?
She looked over to see Xing staring at her pleadingly. She smiled and looked at Syaoran again. "How could I reject such an offer? Of course I would love to."
"Alright, next week it is then. I will have everything arranged, so don't bother stressing over anything."
He stood from the couch after ruffling Xing's hair. "I'll be home for dinner. Be on your best behavior today."
Xing grinned at him and nodded his head. "Yes, sir!"
Syaoran nodded towards her before walking out of the living room.
Xing scooted over to her and laid his head on her shoulder. "I'm so happy that you said yes. It took a very long time to get Daddy to say yes," Xing said in her shoulder.
She smiled and ruffled his hair, which caused him to pout as usual. "Is there any reason you didn't just want it to be the two of you?" she asked, though she doubted the little boy would understand the meaning of the question.
"No…it feels funny when it's just daddy and me," he explained.
Her brows furrowed. "Why do you say that?"
His eyes began to glisten with tears. "Because I think Daddy hates me."
Her chest tightened at that, hardly believing the little boy would believe something like that. "Xing, you know better than me that your dad loves you. Come here," She pulled him in her lap, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"I know...it's just…" he looked down before saying in a lower tone, "He's ever hardly been around. And I've just never been with daddy much before…like…just the two of us, so it makes me…nervous? And, when he is around, it doesn't seem like…he wants to be around," he said the last bit, a little confused. She assumed he did not think he used the correct word.
She kissed his head gently. "I'm sure he has his reasons, like…he's working all the time for you, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you."
He pulled back from her and frowned. "Okay and I'm sorry. I promised that I wouldn't cry anymore. Are you mad at me?" he asked in a frightened tone.
She frowned, not liking that he would think she could be upset of how he feels. She never grew up in a home where certain emotions were permitted from displaying like most families, so she wanted Xing to feel safe to open up to her. "Of course I'm not mad at you for how you feel. I just want you to be happy."
"Okay..." he said quietly.
When it did not seem like he would express anything else, she poked his side, making him flinch back with a giggle. "We're missing the show," she said softly, changing the subject to brighten his mood.
He gasped and turned around in ger lap to face the TV. "You're right! We almost missed the whole show."
She smiled and shook her head. "We can watch another episode."
He never responded because he was already engrossed in the show.
She sighed and looked at the little boy, wondering what went through that head of his. He was only four and going through so many different emotions at once. One minute he was happy, then the next he was sad, while the next he was mad. What was she going to do with the little kid?
They watched the show in silence together with her mind being occupied with how she could make Xing happy. She was soon engulfed by the show, never coming up with a conclusion to his happiness.
"Would you like to go down to the park today?" she asked after a few episodes of the show.
He turned to her, wide-eyed. "Really? We could do that? I haven't been to the park in…100 years. Could we really?" he asked hopefully.
She smiled, nodding her head. "Of course we can. There's one down the street from here. I'll just have to ask Daddy if it's okay."
His smile dropped at that, something she noticed immediately. She found it very clear that there were issues between them. "Aww…no park today then…" He looked down at his hands.
The vulnerable man from last night flashed through her mind before she lifted Xing's face up by his chin. "Trust me, he won't," she promised sincerely. She smiled at him reassuringly.
"Really?" he asked timidly.
"Definitely. Just sit here while I go and ask him about it."
He nodded his head and smiled at her hesitantly. She sat him on the couch before standing. Giving him a thumbs up, she headed out of the living room, down the hall to Syaoran's office. She knocked on the door three times when facing the door.
An answer never came, so she knocked again. She knew he had been in here.
Nothing came.
She twisted the handle, turning it before she pushed it open slowly. She peeked inside and saw Syaoran's back facing the door. She frowned, wondering why he ignored the knocking when he would have been upset if she had done the same to him. She walked inside, closing the door behind her noticeable so he could acknowledge her presence.
He turned around in the chair, looking up at her questioningly.
"I didn't know if you heard me knocking or not," she said calmly, staying at the door in case he did not welcome her.
"I did," he said simply.
She pursed her lips, feeling slightly annoyed with him. So, he had ignored her on purpose.
"What is it that you want?"
She looked at him and took a deep breath before speaking. "Uh…" an image of his naked torso flashed through her head, causing a surge of lust to course through her body. She suddenly forgot how to speak, trying to suppress the new feeling she had been experiencing since she met him.
He raised a brow at her and leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Speak up, Kinomoto."
Her eyes traveled back to his lips for a split second before they averted back to his eyes. "Would it be okay to take Xing to the park today?" she asked after finding the ability to.
He made a humming sound, looking deep in thought.
She knew he was going to say no. His eyes said it all for her to know that he had already had an answer to the question. Something told her that he still had not trusted her with Xing even though he had offered her a job to watch him.
"As long as I accompany the two of you, then yes."
Her eyes widened, not believing what her ears were hearing. She never thought the man would try to insert himself in anything she was involved in. Granted, she knew it was for Xing, but Syaoran had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. "Excuse me?"
He looked at her skeptically. "Is that a problem?"
She shook her head vigorously. "Of course not! I would be more than happy if you did."
"It's settled then. I'll be home before dinner."
He turned around in the chair and continued to his work as a way of dismissing her.
Despite his rude dismissal, she could feel a burst of energy and confidence come alive. She felt stupid for not thinking of it before, but this was how Xing could become happy. It was obvious that the little boy just needed a little attention from his parent. He did not have a strong relationship with his father, despite Syaoran being unaware of this.
He needed his father and the attention to make him happy.
"…it doesn't seem like Daddy wants to be around."
No child should ever feel like their father did not want to be around them, nor should a father make a child feel that way.
Her fists clenched, looking at Syaoran's back facing her. There was no way that he knew Xing felt that way about him or otherwise, he would be doing better. Syaoran had been a lot of things to her since she met him, but he certainly had not pegged her as a bad father. He just seemed…oblivious. Even so, he should have known better that a child needed extra attention, especially with the other parent being absent. She even knew that at her age, so it made her wonder if he were really in his twenties.
She left the office, closing the door behind her before she did something she might regret to the man.
She decided that she would not be quick to judge him because there was always a reason behind people's actions. The only way to understand him was to get to know him. She was willing to try.
"We are going to the park," she said after sitting down beside Xing on the couch.
He turned to her with excitement in his eyes. "Really?"
"Really, and guess what?"
He looked at her curiously. "What?"
"Daddy is going to tag along!"
He gasped, "He is?!" he shrieked.
She smiled, sensing the feeling of hope rise in the little boy. "Yes, he is. He suggested tagging along himself too."
Xing jumped on top of her, hugging her tightly. "I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun to have Sakura and Daddy to play with me."
She ruffled his hair, but he did not even seem to care as he kept rambling on about what they would do at the park together.
A smile graced her face, knowing that this was probably going to be the best idea she had ever have. Operation one, attempting to create a strong relationship with a father and son. She suddenly felt like she had a new meaning to life other than trying to survive until the next day.
By the time next week came, Xing would not even want her to tag along on their vacation time so he could feel comfortable around his own father.
Sakura walked around the house without intent, trying to figure out something to do. Xing had been sleep for 15 minutes already after Mister Bao, his tutor, had left.
Syaoran had not told her a specific time that he would be back. He'd only said before dinner, which was at six. She hoped he got back sooner so they could actually have time to spend at the park.
Hana would not be there for another hour, so she was left alone in the house with her thoughts until Syaoran arrived. She would be lying if she had said today's events were not a little nerve-wrecking to know that they all would be going out today. She knew it was for Xing, but something nagged at her about this whole thing. She wanted Xing to be happy, so she decided to ignore the little annoying buzzing fly in her ear.
She sighed, lying on the couch while turning the TV on. She flipped through the channels, looking for anything to watch. After seeing nothing appealing to watch, she left it on the kid's program.
It was not like she would watch it anyway because her mind was too focused on other things. Plus she needed to mentally prepare herself to be around Syaoran again. The man could be such a headache most times with his discourteous attitude. She wondered what possessed him to come along with them anyway.
It was a little weird because he seemed more like the parent who drilled their kid with work and more work. He was always serious and formal—aside from him being shirtless that morning. She had not seen him in anything but formal wear so that made her wonder if he would wear something formal to the park today.
Shaking her head from the ridiculous thoughts, she sat up from the couch. This was not about her or Syaoran because it was all about Xing. He was the reason they would be going out together. She wanted them to spend more time together because she would not always be around to make Xing comfortable.
Deep down inside, she had this longing to get to know the man though. Even though she kept convincing herself this was all about Xing and the reason she had been so happy about Syaoran coming along.
After last night, it made her realize that he was not as bad as he appeared to be. He was just being a protective father who wanted their kid safe and happy, but in a weird way since he missed the necessary requirements.
She sighed, deciding to close her eyes to rid herself of the thoughts of the man. She needed a break from him before she would have to be around him.
It was only when she heard keys rattling and a door opening before closing that she realized she had almost dozed off.
Sitting up from the couch, she looked in the direction of the noise, waiting for the person she had been waiting for to show. She decided that she would still remain polite and herself, despite how the man had been treating her since she met him.
She sat up from the couch and stood, facing him. "Welcome back, Li-san."
He stared at her for a moment before giving a nod and walking down the hall to his study.
She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 4:03pm. It was time for Xing to wake up now—three minutes ago, actually. Good thing Syaoran had come home to wake her because otherwise, she would not have even known.
She walked down the hall to Xing's room and saw that he was already awake, playing with the cars on the floor. He turned in her direction and smiled. "Finally. I thought you'd never wake up."
"How long have you been awake?" she asked curiously, walking in the room all the way before sitting on the floor beside him.
"Um," he held up 10 fingers, "This long, I think."
She smiled, shaking her head at her own mistake. She had not even known she dozed off that long. It only felt like seconds with all her thinking. "I'm sorry, Xing. I was tired, I guess. Promise I'll make it up to you though."
"Deal." He started driving his truck around on the floor before turning back to her. "Is it time for the park?"
"We have to wait for Daddy, remember?"
"Is he already here?"
"Yes, but he has to change first."
"Daddy is here?!" he exclaimed, standing from the floor.
She giggled, nodding her head. It was clear the little boy enjoyed his father company, despite his anxiety of it being uncomfortable sometimes.
He pulled on her arm. "Come on, then!"
She stood from the floor, smiling at his enthusiasm about seeing his father.
They started for the door, but it opened before they even had the chance to open it. Sakura looked up to see Syaoran with that blank expression on his face, as always. She noted he actually had on casual clothes, which was something new. Jeans and a T-shirt that fitted nicely against his body was definitely a good look on him.
She refused to let her eyes linger on his body too long this time, not wanting to be caught red-handed again. She could barely live through those times he made it obvious that he knew she were looking at him.
"Daddy!" Xing ran over to him and wrapped his arms around his leg.
Syaoran picked him up with ease. "Hey, buddy."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lip, but it immediately disappeared on cue, as if he sensed her staring at him.
She frowned, looking away, not wanting to make him feel like she was invading his privacy.
"Is it time for the park now?" Xing asked hopefully.
"Yes it is. And how would you feel if I told you that we'd also get ice cream later on too?"
She heard Xing gasp. "Really?"
"Really, but we have to have dinner first."
"Do I have to eat more yucky green foods?"
"Have I ever told you no to that question before?"
Xing sighed. "No…" he said sadly.
She smiled and looked back up at the two. She had the urge to tell the two that they should go without her, but Xing's teary-eyed face came to mind.
Syaoran poked Xing in the side, causing him to squirm and giggle in his dad's arm. "You're eating your vegetables if you think that look will make me change my mind."
"Aww, fine. If I eat all of my vegetables, can I get double the ice cream then?"
"So you can be up all night? I don't think so, buddy."
Xing pouted. "Sakura, tell Daddy that I should get double the ice cream. I've been very good today, right?"
She giggled and turned to Syaoran, shrugging her shoulders to entertain Xing for a bit. "He has been good today."
He raised a brow. "You're not getting double the ice cream," he said simply, keeping his eyes locked with hers though.
Xing groaned. "Yes, sir."
He sat Xing down. "We should get going."
"You're right."
The ride to the park down the street had not been as awkward as Sakura thought it would be. It felt…comfortable and natural for a change. But then again, it may have just been because Xing had did all the talking the entire ride.
Sakura opened the car door after unbuckling her seat-belt and stepped out the car, welcoming the fresh air of the park.
Xing took off running to the swings the moment his feet touched the ground, just as she expected him to.
She walked over to the swings with him and heard Syaoran following closely behind her. She sat on the other swing by his, grabbing the chains that held the seat up. She already knew what Xing would say next because he had already told her plenty of times today what he wanted to do when they first arrived.
"So, Daddy pushes me first and we see who can go the highest," Xing said suddenly.
She giggled, looking at him. "Isn't that an unfair game? You have someone pushing you, while I have to work my own way up."
He frowned. "My feet can't even reach the ground though…" he said sadly.
"I'm kidding, squirt."
Her feet gave the first push against the ground before she started to push back and forward with her arms and legs.
"Hey, that's cheating! Come on, Daddy." Xing tried jumping up on the swing.
Syaoran picked him up and sat him on the swing. "Hold on to the chains tightly."
Xing did as he was told. "Hurry, Daddy!"
Sakura laughed at his frantic behavior, making her wonder what could be going on in Syaoran's head about it.
Syaoran started to push him, allowing him to go higher than her instantly. "I'm winning, Sakura!" Xing exclaimed, looking over at her laughing. The kid was full of energy even though he had just woken up from a nap less than 30 minutes ago.
After they swung, they played on the monkey bars for a while then played on the slides. They had already played two rounds of hide-and-seek as well. To Sakura's surprise, Syaoran had even played hide-and-seek with them.
She had not even thought that the man had a single bone in him to play anything. He was always serious—very professional around her. He was finally loosening up and it was refreshing to see. She felt more comfortable around him, seeing that he had a less-intimidating side to him. She decided that she would drop all assumptions about the man after he had participated in this game.
"Now you guys have to hide together, while I count," Xing said after the second round ended.
He closed his eyes and began to count.
Sakura giggled before her and Syaoran started to go and find a hiding place in the opposite direction from each other.
"No, no, no. You guys have to hide together, or it wouldn't be fair to me." He stopped them from further separating from each other.
"You weren't supposed to be looking anyway, cheater," Syaoran chastised gently.
Sakura giggled and nodded her head. "That's right, you aren't supposed to be looking."
He giggled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "You guys still have to hide together since Daddy and I hid together, and Sakura and I hid together. It's only fair, right? Daddy always says that I should be fair, so that means you guys should too." He pointed at them both.
Sakura looked at Syaoran for his approval since she had no problem with it. He just ended up shrugging his shoulders as if he did not care.
"Alright, go ahead and turn around, mister. And keep those eyes closed!"
Xing turned around after she said that and continued to count.
Without thinking, Sakura grabbed Syaoran's arm and pulled him with her to the slides. She dropped to her knees and crawled in the tunnel, distinctively hearing Xing's counting. She wanted to be sure they could still hear him in case anything were to happen. Plus, she did not want to make it impossible for the little boy to find them. This was the perfect spot because it was not too exposing, nor too easy to find.
Syaoran stooped down and looked at her skeptically. "You don't expect me to get in there with you, do you?"
She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Of course, it's a great hiding place and enough room for the both of us," she whispered, scooting over for him to have room.
He gave her a deadpanned look. "I'm not getting in there." He started to stand and on instinct, she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the tunnel with her. "Damn it, Kinomoto. This isn't necessary."
He pulled his arm back from her glaring, but she felt no threat by it like she had prior to them coming here. He made a move to leave the tunnel again, but she grabbed the closest arm, pulling him back inside with her.
When she released his arm, he ended up losing balance and her head hit the ground hard. "Ouch…" Her hand moved to the back of her head, massaging her scalp gently. Perhaps she had been too into this game more than she was willing to admit. She had forgotten what it felt like to spend time with a sibling. Playing hide-and-seek reminded her of her childhood with her older brother.
She was getting way ahead of herself, so she might need to calm down a bit.
She made a move to get up, but felt something heavy hold her down. She opened her eyes, only to be met with burning, amber ones.
Her body froze under him when she noticed his hands on either side of her head while he looked down at her. Her face warmed when his eyes darkened as if they knew exactly what that look meant. She had received that look many times at the restaurant from men who showed interest in her.
The atmosphere suddenly shifted between them as Syaoran straddled her body, not even caring to move. Her stomach had that jittery sensation again, making her try to push that feeling down as she attempted to reason he needed to move. But he would not move. Her instincts told her to push him off, yet his gaze had her wedged where he seemed to want her. Why was he not moving? Why was he still looking at her as if he wanted to lean down?
Something in the back of her mind registered Xing's absent counting, which meant that he was coming to look for them now.
At the thought of Xing finding them like this, she knew she needed to push him out of the way, yet her body would not let her. All of her senses were on overdrive. The only thing she could smell was his sandalwood scent with that cologne she had adored at this point. She could feel his touch without him actually touching her because of how close his hands were to her. She could even hear his steady breaths as they became unsteady the longer he held himself above her. It was almost scary, but not as scary as the way her body responded to him.
His eyes traveled down to her lips like they had the other night, making her bite them nervously the way he stared at them.
Knowing that she had to be the stronger person here, her fists clenched at her side before she attempted to get up, but her thigh brushed against something hard.
Very hard.
She looked down between them and bit back a gasp, seeing his evident arousal pressed against her. Her thigh moved from his crotch and a sharp inhale of breath left his mouth, causing her to freeze at the response she had not expected from the man. Her eyes traveled back up to his, noticing that the shade had changed again.
"Daddy! Sakura!"
Hearing that voice caused the weight to lift off her body immediately. She sat up from the ground quickly, keeping a good distance between them as she avoided looking in his direction.
"I found you guys! I found you! You guys lose!"
Sakura looked up to see Xing at the entrance of the tunnel, laughing triumphantly. She smiled and started to crawl out of the tunnel, ignoring the burning ache between her legs. She had never felt that sensation before, but she certainly had heard about it.
"Looks like you win then, huh?" she admitted defeat, glad she could mask her current state in front of him.
"Yes, I did—Daddy?" Xing looked in the tunnel at Syaoran, who was staring at the ground blankly with a hand resting over the front of his pants subtly. Sakura, however, did not think it was subtle since she knew the intent behind his hand there.
Syaoran's head snapped in the direction when he heard the word 'daddy' though. He crawled out of the tunnel, gently pushing Xing to the side before he stood. "You ready to get something to eat?" he asked in a hoarse tone, staring down at Xing.
Before Xing could even respond, Syaoran grabbed his hand and started walking back to the car, leaving Sakura to stare after them in shock. She had to be going crazy to think that what had just happened, happened.
She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts.
She had to be going insane.
"This ice cream is so delicious!" Xing said, licking the chocolate-flavored ice cream on the cone.
Sakura smiled, licking her own strawberry ice cream cone. "It is delicious, huh?"
"Yes. Daddy's favorite ice cream is also chocolate like me. Did you know that?"
Sakura looked in the direction of the man on the phone, and shook her head. "Nope, but you are his son, so it isn't much of a coincidence."
"What does coincidence mean?"
Sakura's gaze shifted back to the little boy sitting in front of her at the table outside. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting who she was talking to. Xing was, indeed, smarter than his years but he was not that advanced yet.
She thought for a moment how she could explain it to where he would understand. "It's just when two things happen at the same time or to the same people in a way that doesn't seem normal," she explained.
He licked his ice cream, looking deep in thought. "Coincidence…" he tested the word out himself.
She hummed, deciding to change the subject before he asked any further questions. "Are you ready for school? I heard it's going to be your first year."
"Yes, I'm so happy that I can finally go," he said, grinning.
She giggled, looking at the chocolate in between his teeth. "I bet you are. You're going to be a big boy, aren't you?"
"Yes, almost like Daddy," he exaggerated.
She laughed at that and shook her head. "You will be eventually, but not yet."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I will be soon, so it's the same thing."
Smiling, she shook her head, adoring the attitude of the little boy.
They ate the rest of their ice cream in a comfortable silence. Even after they finished, Syaoran was still on the phone.
She frowned, feeling a bit frustrated about that. He was supposed to be spending time with Xing, instead of being on the phone. She knew he was a busy man, but what had been the point in him agreeing to come if he would just be on his phone the entire time? He was not at work right now for that specific reason. Did he not know how to get away from work for a few hours to spend time with his son?
He had not spoken another word to her after their little encounter at the park, and quite frankly, she was glad about that. But for some reason, she felt like he was using the phone call as an excuse to avoid her because of the situation. Therefore, it made her feel a little guilty for that moment happening since it pushed him further from Xing.
He looked in her direction, glaring at her now.
She looked away, not even knowing she had been staring at the man. She suddenly felt disappointed that he was back to treating her coldly after their day at the park.
"I had so much fun today, Sakura. I'm glad that Daddy was able to come along with us," Xing said after he ate the last bite of his cone.
She decided that Syaoran was the last bit of her worries right now, so she focused on Xing. "I'm glad that you had fun then."
He yawned and laid his head on the table.
"Looks like you're getting tired," she commented on his behavior.
He lifted his head from the table, shaking his head vigorously. "No I'm not. I'm just bored—Daddy says that people yawn when they become bored sometimes."
She giggled. "Well, people also yawn when they are tired too, so I think that's what kind of yawn that was."
"Only a little bit…" he trailed off, yawning again.
"Well, when you get home, you'll have to take a bath first, then we'll put you to bed—"
"No story time?"
"Of course after story time."
He laid his head back down on the table, closing his eyes this time.
Sakura looked in Syaoran's direction again. He was dropping his phone back in his pocket, making his way over to them now.
"You tired, buddy?" he asked, when reaching them.
"Only a little bit," Xing repeated.
Syaoran picked him up from the chair and Xing laid his head on his shoulder. Syaoran stared at her for a while before he started walking to the car.
She followed suit behind him and got inside the car, buckling up. She already knew the ride would be awkward back to the house.
Sure enough, it was the most tense-filled ride she had ever had with anyone because Xing had fell straight to sleep when he had been buckled in his seat.
Syaoran unlocked the house door and pushed it open with Xing in his arms sleeping. He allowed Sakura to walk in first before he came in behind her and closed the door behind him. He walked down the hall with Xing and opened the door to Xing's room.
When the two disappeared from Sakura's sight, she released a shaky breath she had been unaware that she was holding around him. Regret washed over her immediately, the realization of them being back to square one hitting her like a bucket of ice water. She could admit that she had been an idiot to pull him down like that and become so comfortable with him today. However, she could feel an anger underneath that regret at the fact that he was treating her as if it had been her fault that he was aroused. She knew she should not have been comfortable, but she had felt like herself again. She had felt out of it since she moved in with them.
She sighed and headed to her room, needing isolation from the man. She found it impossible since this is his house, so everything is him here. She closed her door, locking it nonetheless to avoid any intrusions again. She had been locking her door since he barged in her room like that the other night. She knew that he would not force anything on her like her landlord had, but she wanted to be extra cautious.
She stripped down from her clothes so she could take a shower. She wanted to wash the indecent feelings off her body from the man, knowing that he was forbidden. It probably would not work, but she figured she could try.
She turned the shower on and stepped inside of the walk-in shower. The moment the hot water slapped against her skin, all her muscles began to relax. She closed her eyes, enjoying the pressure that hit against her skin. This shower would probably be able to compare to the shower at the hotel Syaoran had paid for her to stay in a couple of days ago.
Her cheeks began to warm at the thought of the man again. A mental image of his naked body in the shower flashed her mind, imaging the pressure of the water being the pressure of his body on hers. She could not understand why it was not hard to picture his naked body wet with his hair matted to his forehead? It was not like she had seen him fully naked before—or wet.
You did feel how big he was at the park. And saw him shirtless…
She shook her head, trying to get rid of the dirty images and her dirty conscious talking in her head. She cleaned herself quickly before she stepped out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she walked out of the bathroom that was connected to her room.
Quickly, she dried off and slipped on a tank-top and pajama bottoms before tying as much of her damp hair in a high bun. She lied on the bed afterwards, closing her eyes tightly to clear her mind.
She needed to get her head screwed on right. The man is…a man. It was that simple, so why was she getting all worked up over him? She had only seen three different sides of him, and her head wanted to get involved with him all of a sudden. He was too old for her and he would never even think to look her way.
Except today…
She took a deep breath and before she could release it, a knock came to her door. She did not let that deep breath go, knowing exactly who it was. She paused, contemplating whether or not she should answer or ignore it. Maybe he would go away if she did not respond. He had ignored her earlier when she knocked on his office door, so she would just return the favor.
Another knock came to the door and that deep breath she had been holding was soon let go as she stood from the bed and walked to the door. She opened it and there he stood, looking handsome as ever.
"Li-san," she called quietly.
He just stared at her face blankly, not uttering a sound. She normally had a high tolerance of patience, but the longer he stood there quiet, staring at her, the more it decreased.
Her fingers gripped the knob tightly, feeling anxious. "Li—"
"Earlier…"
She stopped breathing as her fingers tightened around the knob. She certainly did not expect him to bring this up so soon.
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, pulling on it gently. That seemed to be a habit of his she noted. "That was a mistake. I—I didn't mean for that to happen, I mean."
She bit her bottom lip nervously, looking down at the floor. What was she supposed to say to that? He was not necessarily apologizing, but explaining himself.
"Kinomoto," he called sternly.
She looked up on cue, realizing that she had ignored him, being drowned in her own thoughts about all of this. He did not like her lack of responses, but she did not know what to say. Had he expected her to say she forgives him? That he had not made anything awkward?
"Okay."
He looked at her skeptically as if he expected her to say more. "Okay?"
"Yes, it wasn't supposed to happen. I mean, it was kind of my fault for pulling on you like that to begin with. I—didn't necessarily make you react like that, but I kind of created that mess. But, if you say it wasn't supposed to happen, then it wasn't supposed to happen, right? And I'm really sorry…" she trailed off after her rambling stopped.
"What?"
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have pulled on you like that—it was inappropriate and…" She stopped talking when she sensed him move closer.
"I thought I told you to stop apologizing so much," he said quietly.
She blushed, looking away from him. "You're right. I'm sorry, it's a habit and—"
"Kinomoto."
"I-I'm going to go to bed now. I had a great time today, so thank you for allowing me to spend time with you guys."
She closed the door in his face before he could even respond.
After locking the door, she collapsed on the bed, feeling exhausted from the day's events. She realized the man knew how to make a person emotionally exhausted from his presence.
She wondered how she was going to make Xing happy if she did not know how to get her emotions under control around the one person he needed most.
She groaned in the pillow, not wanting to find the answer to that question yet.
A/N: The weirdest thing I just noticed is that I uploaded this chapter at 7am the last time and it's now 7am where I'm uploading it again...lol. I'm super exhausted, but wanted to get this update out. I will be uploading more chapters today after I get a few hours of sleep. Sorry if there's a ton of grammatical errors, but I've tried my best for a person who's running on no sleep D:
Ja ne!
