The Wedding Planner's Romance
By. Yuuna Miyako
PAIRING**E x T
GENRE** Romance, AU
SUMMARY** Tomoyo Daidouji is an ever cheerful wedding planner but she isn't married herself. What will happen if her handsome, enigmatic childhood friend, Eriol Hiiragizawa suddenly asks her to plan his own wedding for him?
AUTHORS NOTE** Finally recovered from my mind blank-ness. I hope you enjoy this chappie as much as how hard I worked on it. Eriol did it. To find what 'it' is, please read the chapter. :P. Words of warning once more, I'm off to another vacation and It's much longer. About two weeks. So brace yourselves with a sorta, kinda cliffhanger in the end. Thank you for your support. I might be able to wedge the next chapter but I can't make promises.
Thank you much.
PS. I have a question. Does this chapter felt like it's too rushed? Or is it okay? XD, please, give me your share of thoughts. BTW, if it is, it's probably because I set myself a deadline. My mistake.
REVIEW CORNER**
Winter Ink – Updated XD. I hope you didn't wait long~ Much more wanted action in this chapter~
Wafflesz – I'm back!~ It took longer than I thought because of my brain fart. And yes, the story is probably 10-11 chapters only. I don't really want it to drag~
Tsuki-hana-sekai – Thanks XD. He got dragged off—probably~
Cha – It was simple choosing the dress. It took quite sometime to think on how the dress should be chosen. I hope the dress choosing part is satisfactory.
Akemi-kun – Not only a mouth drop XD. It's mooooooooore than that.
asga – The wondering time is over~time to indulge.
mitsuko310 – Anything could happen, right?
redeyes143 – Finally updated!~
luvthis. - *Munches on cookie* Thanks~and hope you enjoy.
0jaz0 - ^^~Think ET dear. I'll kill myself first if I made Tomoyo and Tou-ya and together~
cheng – XD~
Saicy – Back!~ I was back ever since but it took me time to think about this chapter.
yingfa88 – XD. Thanks~And please don't die. I can't lose another great reader.
KiNoMoTo18 – LoL~ And about the Chiharu thing~ I don't know really. She popped out in my head jumping around saying 'choose me!'.
shef01animetize – XD.
tomoyo-amethyst – Somewhere…~
Amytis-Chan – Updated!~
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!~ Finally to cut this darn cliffhanger and present to you a new chapter. With a semi-cliffhanger attached XP.
Don't forget to review again~kay?
-
-
-
Chapter 6. That Dress—Part 2**
-
-
-
Tomoyo Daidouji gave up explaining the truth to the ever enthusiastic Chiharu Mihara Yamazaki, who was leading her to the women's section of the shop. The lilac haired woman still wondered where Eriol disappeared to, thinking he got dragged into the men's section. Chiharu was talking away, jumping from subject to subject. In the other hand, Tomoyo just silently followed her as she politely nodded. Her amethyst eyes wandered from dress to dress, deciding to just probably start searching one for Eriol's fiancé.
The dresses were amazing. It caught Tomoyo in some kind of trance. The shop had every dress imaginable: dresses with many little tiny beads, deep red passionate colored ones, dresses that had hints of spring and some just your typical immaculately white ones with intricate designs. Looking at these reminded her about princesses, queens and fairies.
Magic.
That's what weddings are supposed to be. Tomoyo let out a small nostalgic smile.
"Are you still designing clothes?" Chiharu suddenly asked, snapping Tomoyo out from her dreamland.
"Huh?"
"Clothes designing—remember?"
Tomoyo's abilities didn't only range in intelligence and the skill of organization. She had talents in art and music too. Not to mention, her beautiful singing voice and the artistic skill of managing to create beautiful pieces of art. She also covered the art of designing and making clothes which she used through her high school years making dresses for her friends and herself.
"Just drawing sketches during free time," Tomoyo replied, "To come to think about it, I haven't drawn anything recently."
"You've become very busy, huh?"
"Yeah," Tomoyo looked up at the ceiling, "But it's a good kind of busy. I like my job. Wedding planning is like giving happiness to other people. Sometimes it's not easy but in the end it's all worth it. Seeing couples deeply in love finally getting married is a wonderful experience. I don't regret being a wedding planner just a bit."
Chiharu suddenly gave her a squeeze in the shoulder, "But you know—you're selfless Tomoyo. But it's sometimes too selfless for your own good." Chiharu took two steps ahead of her.
"You don't know how happy I was to see you and Hiigragizawa-kun together."
Tomoyo froze in her tracks as she looked at the back of her ever enthusiastic friend.
'You're mistaken, Chi…' Is what she wanted to say. Even though Tomoyo opened her mouth to speak, somehow she was simply speechless. The lilac haired lady was numbed by the sting of her very own heart, which is somehow more painful than her past experiences.
Slowly she raised her hand toward her chest and clutched it to somehow ease her pain.
"Tomoyo?" Chiharu look back looking at her friend who somehow stopped dead in her tracks, "Are you okay?"
She didn't want to rob Chiharu from her simple happiness. She didn't want to rob anyone's happiness at all. And most definitely she didn't want to rob Eriol's happiness either. Even though the heavy cost of it was her heart.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Tomoyo let out a fake smile, as she walked towards Chiharu.
Am I willing to be miserable for a lifetime?
Doubt quickly filled her.
I'm I willing to be selfish just this once?
She didn't know.
She silently hoped for some sign—what is she supposed to do?
-
-
-
A shrilly ring emitted out Chiharu's pocket after a couple of minutes of walking around. She quickly took out a cellphone, and then read the caller ID quietly.
"It's Takashi." Chiharu grinned, "Will you excuse me?"
"Sure," Tomoyo nodded and smiled as she watched her friend disappeared in her sight. When Chiharu was completely gone, Tomoyo decided to continue for searching for that perfect dress. She never thought it'll be this hard, but either way, it is a wedding.
Then she noticed a sign in one of the inner hallways. It had the words, "Dress Exhibition" in golden cursive writing. Curiosity and the need of inspiration caused Tomoyo to step in the exhibition hall.
She slowly strolled through dresses that were being featured. She easily recognized these, since most of all of the dresses were branded. Some of them were limited edition. Tomoyo continued as she found herself staring at one of the dresses in display.
It looked like a white dress, but it wasn't completely white. It had some kind of special silk material that when light hits it, the dress turns to a soft blue color. It wasn't a branded dress or a limited edition. It was simple, didn't have much beads and shiny materials attached to it. Those very things already give out the fact the dress was special, and probably the only one ever made.
"I finally found you~" Chiharu said as she spotted her friend examining a dress in the display. Chiharu smiled as she finally realized what dress that rendered Tomoyo speechless, "Isn't it beautiful?"
Tomoyo nodded.
"The designer is a very close friend to the founder." Chiharu said softly, "The designer made this dress for her very own wedding, so it's the only one out there. Even though it doesn't carry a brand name, people seem attracted to this dress a lot, maybe because of the feeling it carries."
"It has this serene feeling with it right?" Tomoyo whispered, "This designer will definitely be popular."
Chiharu let out a wry smile, "She died."
"What?"
"In her wedding day, she died." Chiharu explained, "Everyone knew she had not much time left and one of her last wishes to get married to the person she loved most. No one can't say no. But she died without regrets, because in her heart her life is fulfilled. Her husband brought it over her to show the dress in memory of her."
Regrets…
Will Tomoyo regret…?
The thought brought chills in her spine.
"I got an idea."
"Huh?"
"You should fit this dress."
-
-
-
Even though there was a chorus of declining that came from Tomoyo about wearing the dress in the exhibition, Chiharu insisted she should. The dress was meant to be sold after the exhibition anyway, and it was a definitely the perfect dress for the lilac haired beauty. It was interesting that the dressing room had no mirrors at all and how the makeup and hair stylists quickly worked.
Chiharu just giggled, telling her it's one of the specialties of the shop. Women pick their dresses and then get a quick but a professional makeover and finally step out to another room where you could see yourself and your partner who also probably got dragged.
"And because it's you, it's extra treatment," Chiharu said with a wink. The chocolate haired woman left her for awhile leaving the stylists to do their job, since she is the manager of the place and decided to check up on some things.
After the few minutes of pampering, the female stylists nodded in approval as they pulled back a little, examining their work. One of them sighed dreamily, causing Tomoyo to blush.
"You'll be one of the prettiest brides I've ever seen." One of the stylists commented as another guided her out the room.
-
-
-
Finally after minutes of pampering, Tomoyo finally stepped out the dressing room to another. Tomoyo noticed it was a beautiful room of mirrors, causing her to blink twice.
Somehow, an inhumanly, angelic figure that reflected in the crystal walls also did the same thing. Whoever she was, she looked like a goddess, the flowing white dress with a tint of blue reflecting in certain areas. Her hair was styled simply yet elegantly, while her slight make up looked natural.
"Tomoyo?" A deep, comforting baritone caught Tomoyo's attention quickly turning to the direction of the voice.
Eriol?
It was definitely him.
Eriol was standing from another door, wearing a clean black tuxedo with blue polo shirt that matched the shades of blue that the dress emitted. He was wearing a black bowtie and a smile pasted in his face. He looked like an emperor who was dressed for a ball of some sort. Tomoyo though she saw him smile falter a bit, yet she wasn't sure.
Damn, he's handsome.
"You're stunning." He said slowly as he finally found his way next to her. He said it in such a low tone, it made her shiver.
"T-thanks." Tomoyo herself can't believe she was the same person in that mirror. She also can't help but think how perfect they looked together. She felt his eyes just glued to her, causing her to feel a little uneasy and uncomfortable.
"Hi-kun? Is there something wrong with my face?" Tomoyo found herself staring into his deep cerulean eyes, feeling like she's drowning into them. She felt time stop when she did. She was searching inside him, since he was always shrouded with mysteries.
"Of course not." Eriol reached out and touch her hair, "But you have a stray strand of hair—"
"Oh," Tomoyo giggled, "It's not surprising—"
It happened too fast for her to comprehend. It was definitely his eyes…staring at it was a mistake. She only snapped into a temporary trance when she noticed how close their faces were. Too close. Just too close.
"Eri—"
"Tomoyo." His warm breath hit her skin, causing her to shudder.
Eriol closed the gap between them when he slowly brought his lips down to hers. Tomoyo felt herself melt in his arms as he encircled them around her. The kiss became deeper and passionate, both just looming in their own world. A small part of Tomoyo wanted to push him away and yell it wasn't right, but a larger part of her wanted to just remain, enjoying every second of it.
She didn't want to live in regrets.
So Tomoyo just let her feelings rule over her logic, just this once.
No.
She can't do this.
To her dismay, her moments of pure bliss turned into a heartache she can't bear. She broke the kiss herself, pushing Eriol away from her. She didn't know what to do—cry, yell, to slap him or just laugh hysterically.
Eriol's eyes remained unreadable, while he opened his mouth to speak, "Tomoyo, sorry."
Those words shattered her heart into millions of pieces.
"I—" Tomoyo's voice shook a little, "I better be going. I have somewhere to go."
"Tomo—"
Before Eriol could even continue, Tomoyo burst out the room in tears. Her heart was so heavy that she finally let all her feelings out as she walked in the fastest pace she ever did. Tomoyo then noticed someone else heading to her way. It was Chiharu.
"Tomoyo?"
Tomoyo didn't want Chiharu to see her in such a pitiful state, so in a quick motion, she looked down the floor, her eyes fixed on it.
"T-thank's for the dress." Tomoyo said quickly, "I'm gonna dress up now."
"What? Tomoyo, wait. What happened?"
"It's nothing." She replied softy, "But I think Hi-kun will get this dress."
"What do you mean?"
With pain in her eyes, Tomoyo looked up at her friend, "He's getting married to someone else Chi. I'm here just to plan it."
-
-
-
With the growing concern and curiousness that burned through Chiharu's mind, she decided to investigate a little. Surely Eriol was still in the shop, isn't he? The woman found the Londoner out in the men's section. As she draws closer to him, she thought of questions to interrogate him without breaking him.
"What's the meaning of this?" Chiharu asked Eriol Hiiragizawa who was seated in a black leather couch with his hands in his hair.
"I blew it." The handsome man said grimly, "Damn."
"You're engaged to someone else, yet you kissed her?"
Eriol tensed as he looked up at his friend, "How did you know?"
"Darling, some of her lipstick transferred to you." Chiharu said a matter-of-factly.
"Oh." Eriol clenched his hands into fists.
"And this too," Chiharu handed him a photograph that was recently taken and printed.
It was a picture of him and Tomoyo in the room of mirrors.
Kissing.
"How did you get this?" Eriol asked.
"It's one of the services of the shop. We take pictures. Usually we wait for them to motion for the picture but the photographer though the kiss was your cue."
"Thanks."
Silence grew between them.
"You love her don't you? Why are you making her go through all this nonsense?"
Eriol sighed as he shook his head, "I don't know. It's very complicated. "
"I don't care how complicated it is Hiiragizawa-kun." Chiharu gave him an encouraging pat in his back, "Why won't you get up in your feet and run after her?"
Without words Eriol quickly got up in his feet and dashed out the building with the photograph in hand.
-
-
-
おわり
-
-
-
**Next Chapter excerpts
"Tomoyo, will you marry me?"