Chapter 18: Run Away

"Tomoyo," Eriol's voice was dangerously close. She turned and found Eriol leaning to her, their faces impossibly close.

She jumped from her seat, startled. At least, even she was all nerves, her instincts were still working, she couldn't let herself be close to Eriol again.

"Do you need anything?" Tomoyo asked, looking at everything but him. Since when did she blush when Eriol was around. Since your kiss, a voice in her head answered, smugly. I really don't need to be reminded of that now.

"We never continued our practice. We still don't have a song for your mother's party," Eriol reminded her.

Tomoyo looked at him then. Trying to read his expression. Wanting to know if he realized that they never practiced since their kiss. Wanting to know how he felt about the kiss. But to her disappointment, his face was carefully blank. She was mentally cursing Eriol's glasses, because she could not see clearly his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm kind of busy these past few days," was all she muttered, before she ran away.

"You can now go down Li," Eriol said, sitting at the bench just vacated by Tomoyo.

Syaoran jumped from the tree where he has been spending break time. He leaned against the tree and crossed his arms in front of him.

"I don't think I ever saw Daidouji ran that fast," Syaoran said, chuckling. Eriol just sighed in response.

"What are you doing up there anyway?" Eriol asked, changing the subject.

"Resting," Syaoran answered.

"Spying is more likely," Eriol retorted.

"You used to do it back in elementary," Li pointed out.

"Look, it was Sakura's idea. I was just looking out for our friend," Li said, sitting beside Eriol at the bench.

Eriol buried his face in his hands, "She wouldn't even talk to me Li," his voice muffled.

"She'll come around," was Li's answer, patting Eriol's shoulder awkwardly.

"And I didn't mean any for it to happen. It just did. And now she was avoiding me," Eriol said, frustration evident in his voice.

"Maybe she didn't like the kiss?" Li offered. Eriol told him all about it. It was weird, being friends with Eriol. Friends, Li mentally cringed at the word. But there was no denying it now. Even Sakura teased him about it. Whether he would start videotaping Eriol any time now, like Tomoyo used to.

Eriol threw him a dark look, "You're not helping," he said, "at all."

"I'm sure you will be able to come up with a plan, what's the use of your dark, twisted mind if you could not get Tomoyo talk to you?" Li tried to assure him.

"I do not have a dark twisted mind," he snapped. He was now beginning to wonder what came to him and he told Li his problem with Tomoyo.

"Just give her time, she's just confused. At least, it means the kiss meant something to her. If it didn't, she would still be talking to you."

"If I could take back that kiss, I would. I'd rather have her in any way, than not having her in my life at all," Eriol said, his face serious.

Syaoran was suddenly lost for words.

She ran away. Again. She sighed. She just can't talk to Eriol now. She can't be alone with him. She can't or she won't? She tried to distract her thoughts. She can't think about those things like that.

Instead, she pulled out a book from her bag. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Another gift. She was sure it was a first edition copy and no doubt too expensive. How did he knew that she loves Jane Austen?

She placed the book in her bookshelf. It was no doubt her most prized possession now. Well, maybe not, looking at the bear sitting on her bed, the one Eriol gave her at the carnival. Wait, since when did Eriol's gift became her most prized possession? Since she can remember, it was the eraser Sakura gave her on third grade.

She can't deny that Eriol has become very important to her. He understood her the way Sakura can't. Not that Sakura was not a good friend, she was not just as perceptive as Eriol was. She was still the sweet, naive Sakura in elementary.

Eriol. She remembered that moment. It kept replaying over her mind. Over and over.

She was leaning to Eriol to kiss him on the cheek, she murmured, "Thank you," at this, Eriol turned to her and somehow her innocent kiss landed on his lips. At first Tomoyo was shocked. But somehow, she lingered. And Eriol kissed her back, softly, as if scared she will run away. It seemed to go on forever, that kiss. It was the perfect first kiss.

She didn't know who broke the kiss. They were staring at each other's eyes as if they have all the time in the world. And somehow, it just felt right for Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo," Eriol began.

Then, suddenly the phone rang. Yanking them back to reality. He turned his back to her to answer the phone. Then she ran. Away from him. You see, she knew what Eriol was going to say. That he was sorry, that he was just caught in the moment. It would ruin her first kiss. And Tomoyo wanted to hold onto the perfectness of her first kiss. She can't let it go. Not yet.

I know I haven't updated for a long time. Blame it on writer's block. I have different ideas on my head on what will happen after the kiss, but whenever I try to type in on my computer, I can't. Here, hope you like it. Let me know what you think. I do appreciate your reviews. And I enjoy writing this story. Hope you enjoy reading it.