"Epiphany – intuitive insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple commonplace occurrence or experience." – Word of the Day
Chapter 8
"Epiphany"
The sun shined through Syaoran's window on a Sunday morning. Looking at the time, he quickly got out of bed to get ready for training. Last night he had come in late but that was no excuse to not exercising in the morning as planned. He put his sweats along with his running shoes and a t-shirt on before walking out of his room. Although he had agreed on taking vacations it was very important to stay in shape according to him and now more than ever since the tournament was so near. He began to put his music gear on when he found Sakura in the kitchen. She had her back towards him as he saw her battering eggs to make breakfast. He was still pissed off because of last night but even if he wanted to ignore her he never could. He put on hold his plan of going running for a second and instead reclined himself from the fridge. "Why didn't you tell me she was dating Xiun?" he casually asked.
She quickly turned around startled at the sudden sound of his voice and sighed, "aish... you scared me! Good morning to you too!" she said as an afterthought before continuing what she was doing.
"I'm not in the mood for good mornings."
She kept doing what she was doing and calmly said, "And then you ask why I didn't tell you." She mixed the eggs with some ham and started battering the mix again like she had done before.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked.
She tiredly sighed but kept preparing her breakfast normally while talking to him. "Look at you right now. You're acting like a demented overprotective brother only because you found your sister dating Xiun."
He crossed his hands and said, "He's not good enough for her Sakura!"
She nodded and sarcastically said, "Oh, according to you… because you are the best person at knowing what's best for your sister, right?" She put the pan over the stove and turned the stove on at medium heating level. She turned around and found Syaoran reclined on the fridge. "Excuse me."
He looked at her and after a couple of seconds moved.
She took out the butter from the fridge and turned around towards the stove again.
He bitterly looked at her while trying to explain his point. "Sakura! The guy is not even smart. He's lazy, doesn't like working... You're going to tell me a guy like that it's what's best for my sister?"
She scoffed and turned around not believing what she had just heard and curiously looked at him before narrowing her eyes at him. "Let me guess… And all of this you've deducted from the way he plays? You're basing his character on his ability to play on the field? I'm sorry Syaoran but your arguments are not even valid."
"He could even be after her because of her money."
Sakura easily dismissed his comment by rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath before saying, "You're wrong! He is smart! You don't know him."
"If he would've been smart he wouldn't have dare go out with her in the first place." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh please Syaoran… he is smart and I'm sure there's a difference between doesn't like to work and doesn't like working out like you."
He stared at her. He ran through that last comment she said before asking, "How long have they been going out?"
She smiled and shook her head, a signal that she wasn't going to answer his question and instead told him, "I suggest you stop working out so much and take time to know your teammates outside of the field as well."
"I don't have time for that!" he exasperatedly said.
"Then make time!" she quickly snapped at him.
Jun walked in and saw them glaring at each other almost about to pounce on each other, "Good morning, is everything alright here?"
"No!" They both said at the same time.
Sakura sighed and smiled sweetly at her boyfriend, "I'm sorry baby. Do you want your eggs scrambled or fried today?"
"Scrambled."
Syaoran rolled his eyes and put his earphones on, "I'm going for a run." He turned around and walked towards the door. Sakura could have sworn she heard a mumble coming from him along the lines of getting sick before leaving but she didn't pay much attention to it.
"Is he okay?" Jun asked her.
"Are you really concerned?" she curiously asked.
He shook his head. "I still stand by what I said last night. I don't understand why you need to talk to him about his sister."
She sighed and went back to making breakfast. The best way to get Jun to calm down was to ignore him. Although he was her boyfriend, there was no way she would do things just because he didn't feel they were right.
"You slept here last night?" Jun asked.
Sakura looked back at him asking herself if he had gone insane but saw that he was actually talking to Kyu who had just appeared from the stairs.
Kyu walked into the living room rubbing his eyes from sleep and nodded. "Meiling and I had a long talk last night."
"So everything's okay between you two?" Jun asked.
"Not entirely but we're working on it. Did Syaoran leave already?"
Jun nodded.
Kyu grunted before complaining, "Why can't he ever wait for us?" He turned around towards his room again to get ready to run with Eriol.
Jun waited for Kyu to be out of hearing distance before turning towards his girlfriend, "I'm surprised you're not running with them."
Sakura could hear the sarcasm in his tone but calmly responded, "What's so surprising about that? Last time I checked I wasn't a soccer player needing to stay in shape."
"I'm sure you know what I mean."
She finished cooking his scrambled eggs and put them on a plate. She passed by him with both of their plates and set them on the table. Then she turned back to get their coffee and did the same before sitting down.
Jun watched her as she passed by him to set everything on the table. He shook his head but walked over and sat where she had prepared his breakfast. "Did you used to run with him too?"
She took a deep breath before putting her toast down back on the plate and looking at him. "I am trying to eat breakfast. This is my last vacation day and the least thing I want to do right now is to go back seven years ago to let you know about how my entire relationship with Syaoran was." First the fight with Syaoran this morning and now this… She was already tired of having to explain everything to him. The fact that he couldn't move past it was just getting more and more annoying.
"So you don't think I have the right to know."
"Honestly, I don't care whether you have the right or not. I don't want to talk about the same thing over and over again." She realized she had just snapped at before taking a deep breath again and looking at her breakfast. "I'm not even hungry anymore." She ran her hand through her hair before getting up from the table and walking back towards her room.
It had been a long time since she had lost control like that but he was just driving her crazy with this whole jealousy thing. I mean, couldn't he just give it up already? Last night he had asked her to get married then this morning he was jealous again. She went through her things and changed her clothes to workout. She needed a run. After fifteen minutes she was ready and walked back out with her phone in an arm band and her earphones hanging.
"Are you serious?" Jun watched her from the table and got up to stop her before she reached the door. He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. "You know how I feel about this and you still plan on going running with him?"
She got out of his hold and fiercely stared at him. "I will do as I please. If you don't like it, that's your problem."
Jun stared at her. He had never seen this side of her before.
"Is everything alright?" Eriol asked coming up the stairs as well. He had seen the entire thing but waited for the right moment to appear. This little lover's quarrel had indeed been interesting.
Sakura sighed. "We'll talk when I get back." With that said, she turned around and walked out of the door.
Eriol smirked.
Kuy walk up the stairs as well putting his headphones on. "You're still here? Come on man, Syaoran must be like a mile away already."
Eriol nodded and walked towards the door with Kyu in front. It appears his little conniving cousin had been right all along. This weekend had indeed been good so far. He looked at Jun and smiled shaking his head as he walked out of the door. He looked up front, looked right, and looked left till he saw Sakura entering the woods through the same way they had gone riding. "Kyu, tell Syaoran I'm running with Sakura today."
Kyu curiously looked at him, "What?"
"I don't want her to get lost." He simply said before running towards her direction.
Kyu looked at Eriol and frowned but shrugged it off before running away to try to catch Syaoran.
~ o ~
Sakura kept running not minding she had never been through these woods before. She wasn't even concentrated on the way she was going. Her thoughts occupied all of her mind right now. She was frustrated at everything that was happening in her life starting by Jun's little proposal last night. He had been so sure at assuring her that they both felt the same way when it wasn't true. He didn't trust her at all and perhaps he had every right not to do so.
Last night she hadn't been able to get Syaoran off her mind. She couldn't sleep again but this time she knew why. The only thing that made her feel comfortable to sleep again was the sound of his door opening and closing which let her know that he had arrived safely. She had been worried after seeing his reaction towards his sister, then his decision of taking her back home, and finally driving three hours back alone towards the cabin.
Eriol's words ran through her mind as well. She had always been able to get through to Syaoran. Even when they had a fight, she was able to make him listen before acting. And last night was proof that Eriol's words had indeed been true. Syaoran still listened to her as if nothing had changed between them but then why did it bothered her so much?
She kept running while going through last night's events on her head again. Then realization came to her, it wasn't that he still listened to her what was really bothering her, it was the tone in which he asked her if she knew about his sister. It made her feel guilty. It made her feel apologetic. It still made her feel. She had tried so hard to leave him on the past. She fought every thought that came to her mind concerning Syaoran and yet she couldn't make this go away. She still felt conscious about his thoughts on her.
Her plan had backfired. It wasn't that Syaoran couldn't be friends with her, it was that she still felt something when it came to him. She looked at the river and stopped jogging before looking at her watch. She had been running for an hour and a half without even noticing. Yesterday's events were still fresh in her mind as she looked up to see the river again.
"Trust me. I'll be right behind you."
She didn't want him behind her, she wanted him hugging her again, to feel his caresses on her face again, to have their long walks of talking nonsense just because none of them wanted to say goodbye. She wanted that night of eating ice cream with him on the sofa back again, to be in his arms, to feel his lips again. She was frustrated as she sighed.
"Sakura!"
She turned around as she heard her name. "Eriol! What are you doing here?"
He smiled at her, "I saw you jogging this way. I wasn't sure if you knew your way back."
She nodded and smile. "Thanks."
He walked towards her slowly catching his breath till he was at her side. He started to watch the river as well before saying, "I saw your little lover's quarrel by the way."
She chuckled, "Which relationship doesn't have them?"
He chuckled but this time stared at her before cautiously saying, "You might want to be careful when you do have them."
She stared at him back wondering what he meant by that but didn't say anything.
"You know, the first time I saw you with Jun I thought that perhaps you had changed throughout the years. I thought perhaps you had become more lenient, permissive, more accepting towards men like him. But then we spend some time together and something just didn't add up. After starting to know the guy it didn't make sense to me how you could still be with a guy like him."
She rolled her eyes at him and tiredly sighed, "Out of everyone Eriol, you are the one I least expected to meddle with my decisions. Can't you please leave it like that?"
"This morning it clicked." He looked at her and smiled. "You're not with Jun because you love him, you're with him to keep Syaoran away."
She stared at him and quickly smiled dismissing his comment. "Don't be ridiculous Eriol."
"Am I being ridiculous Sakura?" he sighed before continuing. "You've always known Syaoran. Ever since you guys were together, you've always been able to read his moves. The man on the pool it's still undecided towards you and the only one that's keeping him from making his final decision when it comes to you is Jun." He looked back at her and smiled. "It's the only reason I can come up with that would explain why you would put up with a guy like that."
She was a little taken back with his assessment. "I forgot how perceptive you are, but Jun is not that bad of a person. As for your little assessment which, I find very interesting by the way, that wouldn't be my only reason to not go back to Syaoran even if I were to breakup with Jun."
"I thought you had already scratched the other one."
She smirked. "And the women? Clearly you don't think I could scratch that one."
He chuckled, "I didn't consider the women as one."
She scoffed, "You thought it wouldn't bother me to know he has slept with most of them? That the rumors are true?"
"I thought you would consider more the fact that he hasn't had a steady girlfriend since you left than the rumors of his countless playing nights. But just on his defense, not all the rumors are true."
"I know the ones that are, they are enough." She calmly said.
Her comment gave him the slightest idea that in fact it wasn't the ones in plural but just one specific night she was referring to. He sadly smiled at her and nodded. "For that you'll have to talk to him. But I will tell you this… If Syaoran were to see what I saw today he wouldn't hesitate at all to go after you again. Jun is not strong enough to fight Syaoran when it comes to you. But, just for the record, I will keep your secret."
She stared at him, "Why would you?"
"Let's just say I'm a good friend." Eriol said while stretching. "Jog back?"
She suspiciously smiled but nodded anyways. "Just for the record, there is no secret. Do not make the mistake of thinking that I don't love Jun."
Eriol smirked. "Whatever you say Sakura."
~ o ~
They came back jogging to the cabin. Kyu finished after Syaoran a little more tired than usual since Syaoran had a head start when he started jogging. When he reached the house, Syaoran was already stretching outside.
"Man, you couldn't even slow down or wait for me?" Kyu complained.
Syaoran smirked and shook his head, "I gave you a head start. I came back late last night and woke up thirty minutes later than usual. How's Meiling by the way?"
"We're working on it. You don't believe the stuff she made up, right?" he cautiously asked.
Syaoran chuckled. "Like I don't know my own cousin. You're lucky she just came up with STD." He sarcastically replied.
Kyu shook his head and sighed. "I don't find anything funny about it."
Syaoran laughed.
The door from the house suddenly opened and Jun quickly stepped out with a murderous glare on his face. "Where is my girlfriend?"
Kyu was about to answer but Syaoran stopped him with one hand and answered, "Shouldn't you know?"
Jun looked around but didn't see her with them. "She's running. I thought she was running with you."
Kyu stayed watching from behind silently as Syaoran stared defiantly at Jun. He knew there could only be one reason as to why Jun was asking that question to him… he was jealous. And if he was jealous, it only meant he wasn't sure of her feelings for him.
A smile slowly started to appear on Syaoran's face as he asked, "Did she already break up with you?"
Jun stared at him and menacingly narrowed his eyes. "You wish. As a matter of fact we are getting married. Didn't she tell you this morning?"
Kyu surprisingly gasped. "What?" he asked as he opened his eyes.
"You're lying." Syaoran confidently replied back but suddenly started to doubt as he saw Jun victoriously smile at him letting him know that he wasn't. He felt as a combination of feelings suddenly came awake. They had been laying dormant since Sakura had left that dreadful day and after Jun's words they had come back to life. A sense of wanting her, of having her again… The challenge felt too exciting for his competitive trait to stay calm and it was a Li trademark to never back down from a challenge. He was about to say something when he noticed Sakura coming from the trees on the right with Eriol behind her.
"Oh! You win." Eriol said stopping behind her to catch up his breath. They had decided to sprint the last mile.
Sakura laughed and turned towards him. "You're supposed to be a soccer player Eriol. How could you let me beat you?" She waited on him to catch up with her before walking together towards the house. "Syaoran never let me beat him once back when we were together."
"Oh!" Eriol tried to catch up his breath before saying, "that low life scoundrel doesn't even have pity for women when he works out."
Sakura laughed as she also tried to catch up her breath. "If he hears you talking about him like that he'll kill you."
Eriol laughed. "Tell me about it." He looked towards the house where a not-too-happy Syaoran waited for them with Kyu at his side. "You won't tell him that I said that, will you?" he quickly asked Sakura as they approached the house.
She smirked. "Scared now? Don't worry… your secret is safe with me." She also noticed Syaoran's face and was about to ask if he was alright till she saw Jun on the door. She took a deep breath before getting there.
"Well, did you guys just got here as well?" Eriol jokingly asked. He tried to clear the hostile air that had settled before Sakura and he arrived but it wasn't working. The intense look Syaoran gave Sakura was impossible to miss. He was trying to search something in her eyes and yet she didn't let him.
Sakura sighed as she approached them. She didn't dared look at Syaoran right now. "Can you guys please just go inside? I need to talk to Jun alone."
Eriol smiled and nodded as if nothing had been going on before they arrived. "Come on guys. You heard the lady." He looked at Syaoran to specify his point.
Syaoran looked away and walked inside the house. He still couldn't believe Jun's words but he couldn't ask right now either. He decided to wait for her to tell him. After all, if it was true, he knew she would tell him.
~ o ~
She walked a couple of steps away from the house so they could talk without having to worry about someone listening. When she was satisfied with the distance, she turned around and waited for him to arrive.
"I'm sorry." Jun started talking. "I know we have talked about this before and I'm sorry."
Sakura sighed, "I meant what I said. I can't have you reminding me of the relationship I had seven years ago every time you see him."
"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just…" he sighed. "The more I know him the more I find things you two had in common and it gets to me."
Sakura shook her head. "Jun, all the things we had in common never kept us together in the past. If I ask you to trust me, why can't you just do it?"
"You're right." He quickly said. "I won't do it again. I love you Sakura. You know I do."
She sighed but nodded.
He approached her and hugged her. It was all Syaoran could see from the window of his room. He still couldn't believe the words he had just heard but nonetheless he took his clothes and walked towards the bathroom.
Meiling watched from the living room as her cousin got out of his room and walked straight to the bathroom. She hadn't liked his face when he entered the house. After he locked himself in the bathroom, she turned her face towards her boyfriend and asked, "What's wrong with Syaoran?"
Kyu looked at Meiling and then towards Eriol, "Eriol, you ran today with Sakura."
"Obviously," was his monotonous reply as he accepted the orange juice Tomoyo brought him with a smile while reading the sports news on his phone.
"Did she mention anything about getting married?"
"What?" Meiling asked.
Eriol almost spilled his drink but held it in. He was able to fully gulp down his juice before asking, "Where did you hear that?"
"Jun told us when we were outside."
"He must be lying!" Meiling quickly said.
"Meiling! I don't think he would lie about something like that." Tomoyo asked her. "I mean, they have talked about it, remember?"
"She can't marry that guy." Meiling looked at Eriol. "Did she say anything to you?"
Eriol shook his head while understanding Syaoran's face this morning. "She didn't mention anything."
~ o ~
Angry, hitting borderline, he wanted to just snatch her away from his arms but he couldn't. He felt the shower water hitting his head as he tried to calm down. It couldn't be true. Jun's words couldn't be true. There was no way he could allow that. He had waited patiently for her knowing she still felt something for him and yet the words that came out of Jun's mouth had made him doubt.
She had never been someone who would make this kind of decision lightly. He knew that. So, why was he feeling like this? She wouldn't make that decision if she wasn't in love with the guy. She had always believed in marrying for love instead of convenience. There was no way she would accept a marriage proposal from him at all.
He was losing his mind. For too long he had searched for her. It couldn't be possible that, after finding her, something like this would happen. She didn't even love the guy. No! He knew in his heart she didn't love Jun at all. He needed to trust his intuition. He couldn't fall prey to Jun's games. He was better than this.
Taking deep breaths, he calmed down. Twenty minutes later he got out of the shower. He dressed up in some jeans and a short sleeve t-shirt before walking out. He found everyone on the table talking and eating breakfast, or more like brunch. Sakura was sitting at one of the corners from the table with Jun at her side. His first instinct was to search her left finger to see if she had a ring but she didn't. Jun must've been lying. He was about to approach the table as well when he heard something that made him stop.
"When we get married, I want three bridesmaids and one maid of honor." Tomoyo happily said.
Eriol smiled at her. "You can have as many as you want love."
Sakura stared at them and smirked. Eriol truly didn't like this whole planning for the wedding thing. He knew that as long as he agreed on anything he wouldn't have to deal with a pissed off girlfriend which worked a lot better for him.
"And how many groomsmen do you want to have?" Meiling evilly asked him.
He narrowed his eyes at her but then quickly looked at Tomoyo and smiled, "As many as Tomoyo wants."
Everyone laughed at his answer as Tomoyo complained, "Eriol… You're not even been serious about this."
"What? Baby, I am dead serious." He defensively said.
Tomoyo disapprovingly shook her head.
"How about you Sakura? How many bridesmaids would you have?" Eriol asked.
Sakura looked at him. She had never been asked that question before and she wasn't sure why he was asking it now. She was about to answer when a phone rang. She looked at the side to find Syaoran standing in the hallway. Their eyes met before he broke contact to find his phone on his pocket. He heard it ring for the third time before looking at the caller ID. It was his manager. He picked up the call and excused himself to talk outside in the balcony.
There was something wrong with him. She could see the turmoil behind his eyes before he had to search for his phone. How long had he been standing in that hallway staring at her? Was he still mad about this morning? She could tell he was hiding something but acted as if she hadn't noticed at all. She looked back at her friends on the table and answered Eriol's question. "I don't know yet. When the time comes, I'll worry about that. For now, I think that it's time I have another fight with your cousin about last night's events. So, if you'll excuse me." She quickly said while getting up from her seat.
Jun watched his girlfriend getting up from his side and walking towards the balcony. He still didn't agree with her having to talk to Syaoran but he didn't want to risk having another fight like this morning's with her.
"Aren't you going after her?" Meiling asked.
He looked back at her and narrowing his eyes defensively answered, "I trust my girlfriend."
~ o ~
He closed the door behind him after walking out to the balcony and picked up the phone. "Hey!" He walked towards the wooden balcony railing and reclined his elbows on them while looking out towards the bushes.
Have you decided on signing yet?
"No. I'm still thinking about it." He heard his agent sigh at the other end and knew he wasn't happy with his answer.
Syaoran, they offered you 30 million dollars aside from the contract as a signing bonus if you sign now. Why are you delaying this? Eriol and Kyu already signed. You know this.
"Yeah, I know."
Then why are you delaying this? Is there anything else that you want me to negotiate for you?
"No. It's not that. I... I'm just thinking about it."
I wasn't aware that it would take this much thinking. You know they've been months wanting to close this deal with us.
"I know Choi. I just want to make sure that it is the right decision."
Okay, then at least give me a tentative date on when they can receive your answer. They've been calling me nonstop asking me what you're going to do.
He sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. Just tell them I'm still thinking about it."
You know that's not what they want to keep hearing.
"Then just tell them you haven't been able to reach me."
I'm not lying for you Syaoran. You know that. The whole point of your vacations was to think about this. That's what you told me. I'll tell them you asked for two more weeks. Make sure by then you know what you want to do with your future.
He clicked the end button and sighed. Choi was right. He should've had an answer by now and yet he just kept stalling. And the worst part of everything was that he knew what had changed. He knew what was stopping him from making that decision.
He slightly looked back at the sound of the door and saw Sakura close the door after getting out but didn't move to acknowledge her. In fact he stayed reclined as he looked back out at the forest sight while still passing his phone from one hand to the other.
Sakura walked towards him and reclined her lower back from the balcony so she could see his face while he tried to ignore her. "I'm sorry about this morning."
He looked at her trying to act natural, "That'll be the first. May I record it? It's not very often I hear that coming from you."
She softly smiled, "that doesn't mean I didn't mean it."
He scoffed and shook his head. "He's still not good enough for her."
She smiled. It still amazed her how he could be as immature as a small child for some things while for others he would be all manly. "She's your sister Syaoran but she likes him a lot. And honestly I haven't seen her like that about a guy in a long time." She heard him grunt which was a good thing. It was his way of communicating that even though he didn't like what she was saying he was still listening. "If you keep this up you will only make her distance herself from you."
He sighed. "If you wouldn't have gotten in the way I would have seriously kicked his ass last night."
She chuckled, "Did you honestly wanted to do that?"
"I'm sure I would have felt a lot better than I do now after doing so too." He jokingly said.
She chuckled and shook her head at his childish comment, "Please... The only thing you would have felt was your knuckles hurting right now and then we would have to hear you complain about putting on the ice bag." She smirked. "Not counting how you would have to explain his injuries to your coach next week. And then you would probably-"
He grunted while looking away, "Alright, I get the picture."
"Good! I still think you should spend some time with him outside of the field so you get to know him better. He's not as bad as you think."
"We're not friends you know... We are teammates. It's different"
"Oh come on Syaoran, you are friends with some of your teammates outside of the field. I'm sure you can make an effort."
He sighed and changed the conversation, "I never got to thank you for the community event."
She smiled knowing exactly what he was doing again. He hated losing even if it was the smallest little argument and changing the subject like he did was his way of agreeing to make an effort like she had suggested. "I just did my job."
He smiled, "Believe it or not, I did enjoy being there and helping."
She smirked, "You cost me two hundred and seventeen more soccer balls than what was budgeted. Should I ask Choi for the reimbursement?"
He scoffed and looked back at her, "I would truly believe you if I didn't know you. At first I wondered how your people were able to get the balls so fast after I requested them. Then I remembered that you probably had thought this through from the beginning." He narrowed his eyes at her before playfully saying, "I'm not even sure how to believe you anymore."
She raised her eyebrow, "Excuse me?"
He nodded, "You lied to me about signing just 300 soccer balls and now you also lied to me about my sister..."
She scoffed, "I didn't lie to you about anything. You were required to sign 300 soccer balls in the event. The other two hundred and seventeen were your own doing. As for your sister, I didn't lie either. I hid from you something that wasn't mine to tell."
"Isn't it the same thing?"
She scoffed, "Didn't we have this same argument a long time ago? I'm sure you know is not the same."
He locked eyes with her again searching inside her emerald pools to see if he could find an answer and yet he didn't ask. Although he wanted to know the answer, he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear both answers.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing." He looked away back towards the forest and sighed.
She knew there was something bothering him. "Are you sure?"
He nodded without looking at her and sighed. "I'm going to stay a little longer in here."
"I thought we were all leaving after breakfast."
He shook his head. "You can follow Eriol while getting out of here. He knows the way as well. I'm going to stay a little longer."
She smirked and jokingly said, "There's no gym here. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I don't need a gym right now." He simply said without looking at her.
Something in her gut told her he wasn't alright. He was avoiding eye contact with her. He was looking towards the forest with a blank but serious expression on his face. Whatever was bothering him, made him close himself to her and it hurt her. She watched from the window as Jun got up from his seat and started walking towards them. "I'll leave you to your thoughts then." She walked back inside the house before Jun could come out.
~ o ~
Feimei hummed as she started putting the cookie dough on the baking sheet one by one. On her end, the day had started a lot differently.
She walked through the memorized corridors until she reached his door. She had tried calling her boyfriend last night but he didn't answer. Her brother's words still dwelled on her mind before she decided to come in personally to Xiun's apartment to sort this out. There was no way she would allow something like this change her life.
As she stepped in front of his door, she quickly ran her hands through her hair to make sure she was presentable before knocking on his door. A couple of minutes later, he opened the door.
"Feimei…" he sleepily said. "It's six o'clock in the morning."
She defiantly stared at him, "You should have picked up your phone then."
He tiredly ran his hands through his face after been woken up so early on his last vacation day but nonetheless let her pass before closing the door. "What, pray tell me, is so urgent that you couldn't wait for a couple of more hours of the day to wake me up?"
"I wanted to speak to you last night."
He stared at her and sighed. "I needed to think last night."
"Think about what?"
"Feimei…"
"No! I will not accept a cheap excuse as my brother being the problem between us. This is not fair. You should think of all the times…"
He looked at her and simply sighed before sitting down on his couch. There was nothing he wanted to do more than going back to sleep right now but he knew she would never let him. He knew that not picking up the phone would lead her to an incessant rattle on all the reasons why they shouldn't break up. He just didn't know it would be this early. 'Note to self… always answer the phone.' He thought as she kept talking about how her brother had no say on her life and how she was old enough to make her decisions.
The worst part about all this situation was that he knew he would just let her talk and not say a word until she was done. Yes… he loved her that much. They had only been dating for ten months but he knew deep down that he loved her.
"Are you even listening to me?" she said.
"Yes, I am." He tiredly said.
"I don't think you are." She looked at him with pissed off eyes. His lack of comments was bothering her. She had already passed through a one sided relationship and feared that this relationship could turn up the same.
"Would you let me talk?" he softly asked.
She turned her head away, calmed down a little, and waited. "I'm listening."
He shook his head and smile a little before saying, "The tournament is in a month Feimei. I don't want problems with your brother."
"I already told you Sakura will take care of it."
He stood up and looked at her, "Why would she take care of it Feimei? How? I mean, I know they used to be friends of some sort but still your brother is very stubborn most of the times. And right now our relationship in this moment could bring repercussions to the team."
"So, you're exchanging me for your team?"
"I'm not exchanging you for anything." What he was about to say would definitely piss her off more than she was already so he tried to proceed with caution as he put his hands up and calmly said, "I'm just saying that maybe we can find a way to slow down a little until we find a practical realistic solution to this."
She scoffed. "Don't give me that shitty psychological talk right now Xiun. I'm not in the mood."
"Feimei…" he sighed. "You know I love you. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
"Then don't." she walked to him and put her hands around him. "Come back to the apartment. We can try to figure this out the two of us."
"Feimei…"
He grabbed her hips to try to push her away but she didn't let him. "Please Xiun. Come on. I know that my brother is stubborn and I know that he's making a stupid big deal out of something that is not but he'll get used to it. He will have to."
He looked at her pleading eyes and his face softened. He put his forehead against hers before saying, "When I found out he was your brother, I knew this day would come. I just didn't expect it would be a month before the cup."
She could already see him giving up on this staying away crap and smiled. "I told you, Sakura will take care of it."
"What makes you so sure?" He asked.
She smirked, "Trust me. He has never been able to say no to her."
But now she was happy to have him back in her apartment. After a couple of months into their relationship they had both decided to get an apartment for when they had a chance to be together in China. With their hectic schedules, it was a little difficult to spend time together so they wanted to make the most out of the time they could be together.
"Mmm... Are the cookies done?" He said stretching his hand to grab one but she smacked his hand away. "Ouch!"
"Serves you right! You'll wait just like everyone else!" She had been doing cookies for her employees at work. As she had learned, it was a good way of gaining part of their trust. Having happy employees was always a good thing especially when the outcome of your work depended on a group of people that made up a team.
"Aw come on baby is not like they'll taste a lot different than the cookie dough."
She raise a brow, "What? Why do you think I put them in the oven? They taste better when they are done."
"I disagree."
"They do."
He rolled his eyes but finally asked her what had been at the back of his mind since they had their little talk in the morning, "So, about Sakura… what is it that you're not telling me?"
She acted all surprised about it but kept putting the cookies on the baking sheet. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He smirked. "Really?" He walked behind her and hugged her from behind while whispering, "I don't believe one word that's coming out of you."
She chuckled and huskily said, "Well, what will you do? My lips are sealed."
He turned her around abruptly and started to kiss her softly. After having her relaxed in his arms he asked her between kisses, "Come on, tell me."
"Mmm… you'll have to convince me better than this for this one."
He chuckled and kissed her a little more before he insisted, "Come on…"
She laughed at him but took a little compassion on him, "Oouu… Fine."
He smiled brightly at her and waited on her to continue.
"They used to date before."
He frowned. This wasn't at all what he had expected. "Date… As in more-than-one-night date?"
Feimei laughed at his surprised look but nodded. "Yes. Even if you don't believe it."
"Feimei… I may not know your brother that well but for as long as I can remember I've never seen him in a date that lasted more than a night."
She smirked and smile. "I'm telling you… Sakura's different. Trust me. They used to date years ago. And if I remember correctly they even had plans of getting married or something like that. I don't remember the particulars but the point is… they had a very steady relationship back then. Actually when I heard they had broken up I was shocked."
"Why did they?" he asked.
She scoffed and shook her head. "He wanted to concentrate on his career. Idiot! Now he's paying for it. I'm telling you baby, we're not breaking up because of soccer."
He chuckled and shook his head after hearing his girlfriend. He kissed her again knowing that even if Syaoran was mad because of this he couldn't see himself leaving her. Carefully he grabbed one of the cookie dough balls from the baking sheet and hid it behind him while he kept Feimei distracted. As he finished the kiss, he smiled sweetly at her and quickly turned around walking as fast as possible out of the kitchen.
Feimei turned around to finish putting the cookie dough so she could put them on the oven when she noticed one missing. "Hey! Xiun! You'll pay for that one!" she loudly said before smiling to herself. She sighed and smiled gratefully thinking that her life was back to normal.
~ o ~
The ride back was silent. Jun was driving behind Eriol, as Syaoran had suggested, going back to the city. After having breakfast they had packed their bags and left the cabin except for Syaoran. His cousins asked him about his decision but in the end he stayed like he said he would. She felt Jun grab her left hand and caress it while driving with his other hand. She looked at his smiling face and smiled back quickly before looking outside her window again. Dark grey clouds were starting to cover the sky now.
The thought of Syaoran staying behind at the cabin unnerved her. He was worried about something and yet when she asked him about it he denied it. The weekend had been refreshing for all of them. Even after Jun arrived they had been able to get along and have fun like they had intended to. So, why was he acting this way? What made him change?
"Are you okay love?" Jun worriedly asked her.
"What were you guys talking about this morning?" she casually asked.
Jun looked at her quickly before looking back at the road. "When?"
"This morning, when I came back with Eriol after jogging."
"I was just asking them if you were with them. Why?"
"No reason. I just find weird that Syaoran would stay behind an entire day in a place where he can't train properly knowing how nazi he is about his training."
"Well, he did take a few days to have a vacation. Maybe he wants to enjoy his entire vacations doing something he truly enjoys. Who knows if he'll even be alone in that cabin..."
Sakura looked at him wondering where this talk was coming from and asked him, "What do you mean?"
Jun nodded casually before saying, "Maybe he invited someone to be there with him to finish his vacations. I mean, guys like him do that all the time. They like playing with woman. It's an enjoyable game to them."
Wrong! Sakura stared at Jun but didn't say anything. She looked back through the window and held herself from saying anything. This morning when she came across their little scenario she had a bad feeling about it. Now, after hearing her boyfriend's answer she had just confirmed it. Syaoran was pissed because of his conversation with Jun this morning. She had no doubt about it.
~ o ~
His agent had called him again inquiring about his decision to sign but he still didn't have an answer for him. Eriol and Kyu had already signed and yet he still couldn't come up with his decision. He knew what he wanted to do. Since they were kids the three of them had talked about playing pro in the same team. What he didn't know back then was how one decision could change his life like it did. He did it once, and he didn't dare do it again.
What he had told Sakura the other night was true. He had searched for her incessantly. He couldn't believe it at first when he stepped into her front door and her father told him she was gone. Then, as time passed by, her absence only made it harder to bear. The agony of knowing she wouldn't be there at his side killed him inside with each passing day.
He lost the Asia Junior Cup tournament that year. He could still remember that day. The same ending kept replaying itself over and over in his mind at night. The game had gone to penalty kicks. As the best shooter he was the fifth to kick and with a tied score he missed the shot through the top right corner. Many questioned what had been going through his head back then. It wasn't normal for him to miss that shot. In fact, it was more like a routine shot. He remembered quite well his friends never dared to say a word but he could guess what their thoughts were. And yet, the worst part for him hadn't been missing that shot, the worst part of it was that he didn't feel anything afterwards. He just felt numb.
No. He was waiting this time. He had finally found her again and wouldn't be making the same mistake twice. He needed to find out if Sakura was getting married or not but couldn't bring himself to ask earlier. His mind was going a thousand miles per hour since Jun had told him she would marry him. He still couldn't believe it and he refused to until he talked to Sakura but waiting had never been one of his virtues.
He walked out of the balcony and into the stables thinking that perhaps a ride before leaving would help him organize his thoughts before facing Sakura again. He was determined that no matter what, he would find out the truth before this day ended.
~ o ~
After hours on the road, they finally made it back to their apartment. Sakura got out of the car and stretch her body after the long drive. By the way the clouds were gathering together, it was evident that rain was on its way. The day had started sunny and yet after making it back into the city the weather had changed completely.
"Home sweet home!" Jun said while taking the bags off the car.
Sakura smiled from the front door and opened it so he could take their bags inside. She walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. "I think the drive back felt longer than when we first left for the cabin." She thoughtlessly said. Suddenly she remembered that on their way to the cabin they had gotten lost and the ride actually lasted longer than usual. For some reason, the memory made her smile but she quickly hid it after watching Jun walking out their room from setting their bags down and towards her.
"Did it? I thought it was fine. I'm just glad we're back to our old selves." He said.
"How did it go on your trip? We didn't talk much on the cabin." She asked him.
"It was good. My father says I have a good chance at been chosen as one of the candidates for the senate."
"Aren't you too young for that?"
He smiled at her. "Well, if my father says I can do it, I'm sure I can."
She nodded and went towards the TV. She turned it on and started watching the news while getting her cell phone out. Suri had text her confirming she had sent an email summarizing the new developments that had occurred while she was out for a couple of days. It didn't surprise her at all that her inbox was full knowing that the tournament was so nearby. She had also sent some new appointments that were automatically added to her phone calendar. A meeting was set for Monday already.
Over the weekend, she had time to sort out a couple of things she had been planning. At least she could say her vacations permitted her of doing some thinking even if it was work related. Monday's meeting would be a perfect day to start putting her thoughts into actions. She calmly heard the news while going through the emails and erasing the ones she knew she didn't needed.
There is a storm watch set for the entire night and we have estimated it will last until early morning. Please use precautions when driving in the roads. We recommend if it's not necessary to drive, please stay in your homes.
She heard the news and her first instinct was to text Syaoran but she stop. It wouldn't do any good to do so in front of Jun. She felt Jun sit at her side and put his hand over her shoulder to cuddle closer to her.
"I'm so glad we're finally getting married." He said. "I can't wait to say it to the entire world that we're finally tying the knot."
"To the entire world?" she suspiciously asked.
"Why not? We've been talking about this for almost a year and a half."
She chuckled. "I still don't think that the whole world needs to know we're tying the knot."
He softly grabbed her chin to take her attention out of her phone and made her look at him. "We're not keeping this a secret Sakura. After I speak to your father, I want others to know."
She looked into his eyes and knew, "By others you mean Syaoran? Or did you already tell him?"
Not knowing how to answer, he simply asked, "Does it matter?"
She took his hand away and stood up walking away from him.
"Why should it matter Sakura?" he loudly said. "He would've known anyways!"
She grabbed her purse and turned around to look at him, "No. Correction, he knows already because you told him."
"Why is this an issue?"
"Because Jun, we never make decisions on our own. As a couple, we always make decisions together. Whether he would've found out or not is irrelevant. The point is you made this decision on your own."
"That is not fair. I usually ask for your point of view on every other decision. This one just slipped. You know very well I can't stand the guy."
"Still, I would have liked it if you would've at least considered my opinion on this." She put her phone in her bag, grabbed her keys, and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" he bitterly asked.
"The office." She answered.
"Fine then." He said as he watched her pass by. "I'm sorry. Would you feel better after an apology?"
"No you're not," was all she said before walking out of the apartment. She got in her car and drove to the one place she knew she could feel at ease.
~ o ~
Suri walked through the corridors of the field. It was her day off but she still wanted to make sure everything was perfect for when Sakura came in tomorrow to inspect. Her job had never been something mandatory for her in fact she enjoyed working especially when she was out of the office. Besides, it wasn't as if she had anything better to do.
She looked at the corridor walls which were now adorned by the new posters of the China team. At both sides of the group poster, individual posters were placed of each player on their red and white uniform doing an action. The quality had turn out to be better than she thought it would be but, then again, Sakura always had the final word when it came to deciding whether they would stay with something or simply just change it.
She kept walking towards the VIP room. When she reached it, she opened the door and the first thing she noticed was the six feet soccer ball embossed artistically on a stone at the other side of the room. A traditional red dragon surrounded the ball. Around the room, the walls were decorated with red and golden paper fans. From the ceiling, red and white paper lamps hanged from yellow strings. The feeling that you were in China could be felt as she walked around the room. It was still missing the food table along with small details but it was almost done. She glanced one more time before turning around. She arranged one of the paper fans which she found a little off balanced on the wall before walking out of the room satisfied.
When she had been told by Sakura that they would be taking care of the advertisement for this tournament she couldn't believe it. The first thing that came up to her mind was all the work they would have to do. Planning the advertisement for an event was one thing, planning the advertisement for a FIFA World Tournament was an entire different thing. As expected, at the beginning she didn't even know where they would even start. As the project began, she started seeing how Sakura started to throw even the smallest of ideas into a notepad. 'No idea is stupid enough not to be considered,' was her motto. Then little by little she started playing around with these until she developed a concrete plan which she could use for the event. Day by day Suri had been watching and learning, gaining experience from being at Sakura's side as she watched and helped her implement her ideas into what it was now becoming the final product.
She was about to head out of the field when she noticed the captain of the China team walking out of one of the aisles. He was casually dressed in jeans and a casual red polo shirt.
"Mark!" she called.
He turned his head and saw Suri approaching wearing a casual light blue dress. He smiled and greeted her, "Suri! Hey, what are you doing here?"
She shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure everything was in its right place before my boss comes to check tomorrow."
He nodded, "Well, is everything where it's supposed to be?"
She chuckled, "It is. What about you? What are you doing here?"
"I was just sitting down and looking at the field from the spectator's seat."
"Why?" she curiously asked.
He smiled and shrugged putting his hands in his pockets, "Today's our last day of vacation before we start practicing again for the tournament. I guess I feel a little nostalgic." He chuckled. "It's the last time I'll actually get to do this before the tournament starts."
She smiled. "I never knew you were such a romantic."
He ran his hands through his hair a little embarrassed after confessing that to her. "You're actually the first person that knows this about me. I mean… the coming to the field before a tournament starts."
She chuckled, "Do you do this for every tournament?"
He nodded. "It actually helps me to prepare for the games, although I'm not sure why today it just feels different."
"How different?" she asked. For some reason she didn't find it hard to talk to him.
He laughed a little before saying, "Are you heading out as well?"
She nodded.
"How about we finish this conversation over dinner?"
She chuckled and shook her head, "Are you asking me out?"
"Oh, come on… I only have this night left." He chuckled. "At least until the tournament's over."
She laughed a little before nodding. "Fine, just because it is your last night of your so called vacations and I want to hear the end of your story. Plus I'm kind of hungry." It was true. It was almost dinner time on her watch plus adding the minutes it would take them to reach a restaurant and waiting to be seated it would definitely be time for dinner.
He exhaled loudly, "Finally!"
She looked at him suspiciously.
He brought his hands up defensively. "I'm only saying it because I'm hungry too." He sarcastically said as he smirked.
She narrowed her eyes playfully at him, "Right… I don't believe you one bit."
He chuckled and followed her out of the stadium. He walked her to her car. "What place do you want to go?" he asked her as he waited for her to get into her car.
She nodded. "There's this place that sells really good plates with lots of meat on them." she looked at him, "Do you like meat?"
He nodded, "I'll follow you."
She nodded.
~ o ~
She was glad to be back in her office. Suri had left everything organized as usual. It wasn't always like this. At the beginning, when Suri started working as an intern, Sakura remembered wondering how long she would last working for her. Then couple of months later she had been able to pull through and started to keep up with Sakura which had never been an easy task to do according to her other assistants who had quit in less than a month of working with her. She had to admit… Suri had been a surprise as an employee. Going to her second year with the company, Sakura couldn't feel prouder of how she had managed to stay sane and at the same time find a way to stay on top of everything.
She had already been a couple of hours on her office. It was eleven o'clock at night and the weather hadn't cleared up yet. Instead, it got worst after she had reached her office so she decided to stay a little longer hoping it would clear up at least a little before heading back home. As she was looking at some documents, she heard her door open. She looked up from the papers she was reading to find Syaoran standing on her office door. His expression let her know exactly what he was doing in her office tonight. She exhaled softly as she got out of her desk and walked around it to sit on top of it. "Did you just get back?"
He nodded. "I went by your apartment and didn't see your car. So I figured you would be here." He softly said before closing the door after getting in and stared at her. "I need to ask you something."
The tone he used to say his first words were an indication that he had been tired of thinking about this before finally confronting her. She nodded and waited for the unavoidable question.
"Are you getting married?"
She stared at him not knowing exactly what to answer. Jun and her had talked about it and she had been seriously considering it till now. "Is this what Jun told you this morning?"
"I don't care what he says. I need to hear it from you." He calmly said.
She sighed, "He proposed last night."
He stared at her silently. He had asked her and yet she didn't give him a straight answer. "You haven't said yes," he said confirming what he thought.
"I haven't said no either." She looked at him.
He kept staring at her trying to read her like he used to years ago but he couldn't. He waited for her to say something else not sure yet if been silent would be better than talking.
She took a deep breath before finally saying, "I need more Syaoran. I've dedicated seven years of my life to your father's company, and I'm not complaining, but I want more. I can't just be Sakura the project manager. I want my husband and I also want to start a family someday."
"Sakura-"
"And you can't give me that." she finished before he could say anything else.
"That's not fair. You're not the only one that has changed in these past seven years. I've changed as well."
She sadly smiled, "Really? I saw you play again on the charity tournament. It wasn't a big tournament, but your eyes still shine just like they have always done whenever you see a field. Your smile has never been brighter than when you score a goal."
He quickly interrupted her before she could say more. "I remember a time when it was brighter, and I can even find evidence in case you don't believe me."
She waited for him to finish and then calmly said, "Jun wants to ask my father before we make it official."
"You don't love him!"
"He loves me."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?" He walked towards her so he could be in front of her and softly took her face on his hands and touched her forehead with his, "You can tell me he can give you a family, that he loves you. And what can you possibly give him in return? What life would you live at his side when you still tremble whenever you feel my touch?"
She softly took his hands out of her face and looked at him. "I'm getting married Syaoran." She sighed and looked away.
He stared at her. There was something that he still couldn't grasp. "Ask me to stop playing."
She looked at him again, "What?" She asked not believing what she had just heard.
He sternly kept staring at her. "Ask me to stop playing."
The seriousness in his eyes let her know that he wasn't joking. She shook her head refusing to ask.
"Ask me Sakura." He insisted.
Had he gone insane? She stared at him again but this time she said, "No."
"Don't tell me I can't give you what you want if you're not willing to ask."
She could feel his proximity was affecting her. "What difference will it do?" she loudly asked. "You will stop doing something you love for something else. In the end, you will feel the same way you did when I left."
"Shouldn't that be up to me?" He loudly asked. He could feel himself losing control over this. "What I want, what I do, shouldn't these decisions be up to me?"
She looked away and sighed.
He narrowed his eyes as he watched her look away. Getting his anger under control again he asked her, "Why are you doing this Sakura?"
"This is my decision."
"So you treat your life now as if it was a business? Do you decide to marry someone for convenience instead of love?"
She looked back at him a defensively said, "This is what I want."
"Is it?" He bitterly asked trying to control his anger as he scoffed, "Even he can see you don't love him. It's not possible for you to be the only person who still thinks that this is right."
She was getting a little irritated with this conversation already as she tried to dismiss his interrogation, "Why do you need to make things more difficult?"
"Because I'm trying to understand what could possibly drive you to make such a stupid decision as…" as he was saying his words, he stopped. He remembered his mother's words.
"Then let's just say, as a mother off course, I'm curious to know why my son instead of thinking of signing a contract on a European soccer league is more concern for signing a contract to buy a terrain in China."
He looked at her, "It's my money. I can do whatever I want with it."
"It may be your money but you are my son. Does this have anything to do with Sakura by any chance?"
He dried his hair with the towel. Dealing with his mother had never been an easy task for him yet hearing Sakura's name on her lips made him warn her, "Leave her out of this mother."
"Why should I? You have never been interested in returning to China. While you were away all those years in Japan you never stepped one foot in here. The only thing I can think of that has changed is the fact that now you know she is living here."
Then, he remembered Sakura's words.
"I've missed you." He softly said.
She could hear the regret on his words and took a deep breath before turning to face him and sadly smiled. "Is that what the terrain is for?"
~
"When did you get it?" she asked him.
"When I got here," he casually said.
"Wouldn't it have been better to buy it in Europe?" She stared at him.
He kept watching the road and after several seconds he said, "I can always buy another one there if I want to."
"And sell this one?"
"I heard you have many offers around. Have you decided in which European team you want to play?"
He shook his head. "I'm waiting for the cup."
"I thought you already knew with who you wanted to play..."
"So did I…" he thoughtfully said.
She looked at him, "What changed?"
He sighed, "Many things, but for now I'm just waiting for the cup."
Suddenly it clicked. His mother's words, Sakura's questions, everything made sense now. "You've always known me better than anyone else." He softly said as an afterthought.
She shook her head and sighed. "That was in the past."
"I'll sign the contract. Don't get married."
She suddenly looked at him. "What?" The pained expression on his face was something she didn't expect at all.
"I'll sign the contract." He softly said again.
She shook her head and sighed disbelieving his words. "This has nothing to do with you."
He touched her chin softly to make her look at him before saying, "Don't lie to me. I won't make you a dishonest woman like you said, but the fact that you even had to ask me means you know I could. I'll sign the contract, just don't marry him." He turned around and started to walk towards the door.
Something about his words made her chest tightened. The pain she saw in his eyes as he said these last words was something she couldn't quite put her finger on to decipher. Usually she was pretty good at reading his expressions but tonight it had been different. "There's a storm watch on. You shouldn't be driving right now. You can go to your father's office if you want."
He turned back to look at her, "I don't want to be near you right now."
She was taken aback by his comment but insisted. "Be reasonable. Your house is about thirty minutes away from here." She watched him turned around and walk towards the door. "At least go to Feimei's apartment. It's closer than your parents. I'll text you the address."
Without an answer, she watched him open the door and close it after getting out. She quickly got her cell phone and texted him Feimei's address like she had told him she would do. He didn't reply back. She looked back at the closed door trying to understand what had just happened in her office.
Author's Note: Well here's chapter 8. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting too long for this one. To tell the truth I had a little trouble with this one. I knew what I wanted to write in my mind, I just had a little trouble putting it down. Happens to us all… Well, I hope you enjoy reading this one. I received a review asking how many chapters I was planning to do on this story. I'm not sure how many in total yet. I have the rest of the story in pieces so I have to put them together and edit them but for now I would say this story is about half way done.