Chapter 2:
Tomoyo made small talks with a few designers, and Sakura feel a little left out, standing there a little uncomfortable with the dress. Not long after more and more designers turn up with their models, and the place was getting crowded.
"Nice to see you here, Daidouji-san and Kinomoto-san." Said a voice behind them.
Sakura and Tomoyo turned around and squeaked in delight. "Meiling! What are you doing here?" Tomoyo asked, delighted to see a familiar face in the crowd.
Meiling smiled. "I am working in the same company as Eriol and Syaoran remember? Almost the whole Li family is here. Syaoran's mother and sisters will be here for about two weeks before returning to Hong Kong. After all, Syaoran's mother, Li Yelan is one of the few who sponsored this event." She told them.
"Come on, let's go and meet them." Meiling said and dragged the two of them along.
Syaoran was standing at a corner of the room, with Eriol, looking at everyone in the room. They were trying to look for Tomoyo and Sakura, but couldn't spot anyone. The few faces they keep seeing were those of Syaoran's sisters Feimei, Shiefa, Fanren and Fuutie, and also a few other designers and models who flirted with them.
Syaoran was getting bored. He sighed and looked around, trying to see where Meiling is. All they know is that Meiling went to try and find Tomoyo and Sakura, whom they were sure are present. When he found Meiling walking towards them, with two stunning ladies following behind her, he was amazed at how they look, especially that dress on Sakura.
Syaoran shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Sakura's just a friend, my good friend, so snap out of it! He told himself mentally.
"Your girlfriend's coming." Syaoran told Eriol, motioning towards the ladies behind Meiling. Eriol was somehow stunned at how dazzling the two of them are, but of course, his main focus was on Tomoyo.
"I'll leave you guys here. Meet all of you later. I have to walk around looking at the designs. Love your design as per usual, Tomoyo." Meiling said with a smile before she left.
Eriol wrapped his arms around Tomoyo's waist, while she leaned back onto Eriol, both being lovey-dopey. Syaoran rolled his eyes.
"You want a drink, Sakura? I'm going to get a cup of cocktail." Syaoran asked.
Sakura nodded. "I'll come with you."
Both friends left to get drinks, while in actual fact, it was just to give some space to their two other friends.
Eriol watched his girl of his dreams deep in thought, in his arms. The best thing that happened to him is having Tomoyo as his girlfriend. The both of them had been close friends before, and they are inseparable when they're near each other. Of course, they still spend time with their friends, and never once did they neglect them, at the same time getting private moments alone together.
"What are you thinking of?" Eriol asked Tomoyo curiously.
"Syaoran and Sakura have been best friends for quite a long time already." Tomoyo stated.
"They have known each other slightly longer than us knowing each other, love." Eriol replied.
"That's the point. Why can't they see that they're meant to be?" She asked.
"They have already given it a try, and it didn't work. If things are meant to be, they will definitely end up together." Eriol said wisely.
"We're already nineteen years old, Eriol. Turning twenty soon. Both Syaoran and you are always busy with the Li Corporation. Furthermore, both of you are one of the most important members of the company, spending so much time there that you might as well live in your office. Sakura is getting busier with the photo shoots for each and every one of my designs. Meiling herself is working as a fashion reporter in the same company as you. All of us are getting so busy that I have no idea if we would continue to be as close as before." Tomoyo said regretfully.
Eriol turned Tomoyo around, so that she's facing him. He rested his forehead against Tomoyo's. "No matter what we do, we'll always try to spend some time with every one of us. That's a promise, Tomoyo. We will always stay close like before." Eriol said and planted a kiss on Tomoyo's forehead.
Syaoran and Sakura made their way to the drinks counter, but neither wanted to return to where they came from. They stood comfortably beside each other, passing time by looking at others.
"Hi, Li-kun." A female voice said. Syaoran took a deep breath and smiled slightly, giving a curt nod to the female model, whose clothes were barely covering her in total and who's flirting with Syaoran, who's unresponsive. He wasn't happy to see Sakura trying her best not to laugh out aloud, and standing there looking at him and not helping at all.
However, after a few minutes, Sakura going to burst out laughing at any minute, decided to help her best friend. Sashaying closer to him, she linked her arm with Syaoran.
"Would you excuse us for a minute?" Sakura said to the female who's harassing Syaoran.
"Syaoran here is needed elsewhere urgently. Nice meeting you here." Sakura said as Syaoran put his hand on Sakura's back, away from the female model and into the crowd.
Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Sakura burst out laughing when they managed to ditch the model.
"You find that funny?" Syaoran growled.
"This is not the first lady who tried to charm me. You had to let me suffer for a few minutes before helping me out?" Syaoran accused.
Sakura raised her hands in mock surrender. Still laughing slightly, she added. "You are one of the few guys at the ball here. Since Eriol is taken and the rest of the guys here are all older than us, you're the only suitable candidate."
Syaoran glared at her. Suddenly, an idea came to him.
"You can help me out." He said.
"I can?" Sakura asked.
"You can pose as my date for the evening. The others will stop harassing me, and you have nothing to lose anyway." The Chinese warrior told her simply, with a slight glint in his eyes.
Sakura stopped smiling and hesitated. Syaoran is her best friend, all right, but she wasn't dense enough to ignore the fact that there is still a slight spark in between them. They have dated quite some time ago, and things did not work out between them. The both of them parted on good terms, now still the best of friends, and both are happy to stay this way. Furthermore, she was happily watching him squirm at the flirtatious attempts even though he maintained a cold exterior.
Wanting to help a friend in need, she agreed. When they walked back to where Eriol and Tomoyo stood, Meiling was already back and in a conversation with them. Tomoyo and Meiling gave Sakura and Syaoran a curious look when they saw the linked arms.
"It's a temporary thing to stop harassment on the Li-clan leader." Sakura told the three of them.
A few hours later
"I see that all of you are enjoying yourselves?" Li Yelan asked the five of them.
"Hai, Li-san." Sakura and Tomoyo replied, smiling.
Li Yelan smiled at them, and then turned to her niece.
"Meiling, have you taken all the necessary information on the best pieces of designs?"
Meiling nodded confidently.
"The ball will be ending soon. I hope that Eriol and you are going to be a good host and say proper goodbyes to all of them later, Xiao Lang." Li Yelan told her son and Eriol, who nodded in response.
True to her word, not long after, Li Yelan announced that the ball had come to an end. Tomoyo and Sakura waited for Eriol, Syaoran and Meiling while they bid goodbyes.
"Are you dating Sakura again, Xiao Lang?" Feimei, Syaoran's sister asked excitedly.
"I always knew that both of you look so kawaii together!" Added Sheifa.
"They really look good together, don't they, mother?" Fanren asked their mother happily.
Li Yelan smiled slightly. "Let Xiao Lang explain what's going on before you all jump to conclusions."
"Sakura was just helping me by posing as my date for the night to prevent any more other flirtatious attempts. We're still the best of friends, nothing more." Syaoran told them firmly.
All the sisters sighed in disappointment and went off in search of their respective husbands, but Yelan saw a slight flicker of longing, lust and denial, among many other emotions in her son's eyes. It was gone in a few seconds though, his eyes were emotionless, and as impassive as before.
The next few weeks passed quickly. Syaoran and Sakura rarely saw each other, as Tomoyo's designs is getting even more popular than before and different photo shooting session takes place everyday, and Tomoyo's planner is fully loaded and booked. Eriol and Syaoran were getting more workload and both Tomoyo and Eriol tried their best to squeeze in some time for one another now and then.
"I need an assistant!" Tomoyo exclaimed one week later, when all of them managed to squeeze in time to gather at Syaoran's house.
Eriol chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't help you much, dear. Although I work in a fashion industry, all I have to do is to clinch deals and do paperwork." He told Tomoyo.
The Li Corporation is in charge of a fashion magazine, that is available worldwide. All Syaoran and Eriol have to do is to do paperwork and all that related stuff, as well as run the company, not needing to know anything about fashion. This company's fashion and style is run by Syaoran's sisters, as well as Meiling, while all the sponsoring will be done by Yelan. It is mostly a family business, and lately, they have been part of the reason why Tomoyo is getting so busy lately, as her designs have been featured in many issues of this magazine.
"I think one of your sisters are looking for a job related to the fashion industry, am I right?" Eriol asked Syaoran.
"Yeah. I think Shiefa or Fanren is looking for one. You can try asking them to lend you a hand." Syaoran replied.
"Really?" Tomoyo asked hopefully.
"I'll drop by your office with Sakura tomorrow!" Tomoyo told them.
All of them sweat dropped when they turned to see Sakura sleeping, not listening to anything they said.