Chapter 11

Sakura rushed into the office. She pushed back the urge to curse as she walked out of the elevator, her hair and clothes slightly drenched and her brain in disarray. She hadn't been able to get any rest all weekend. Even when she had tried to close her eyes and forced herself to dream, Syaoran's face hovered. Now, on a rainy Monday morning, she was thirty minutes late, and because of the sudden downpour, she had to run from the roofless parking lot to the building entrance, which was a good two-minute distance away.

"Hey Sakura," her co-workers greeted while sending her amused smirks.

She could only muster up an odd sound of disdain as she trudged to her desk. Just as she put down her bag, she jumped a little at the sight of Syaoran, looking at her with his usual sardonic smile. Before he was about to say a word, she put a hand up.

"This is your fault. You're taking complete responsibility for my being late," she declared, then began to rummage through her drawers for a spare towel or handkerchief or something.

"What did I do?" He walked to her with a handkerchief on hand. "Geez, you weirdo. Did you run all the way from your house?"

"No-" He wiped her face with one stroke, interrupting her words. Then he began dabbing at her shoulders and hair. Her cheeks already burning, Sakura felt her heart tripping like a schoolgirl. "W-what are you doing?"

"You're wet," he said calmly, then as he planted the handkerchief on top of her head, he grinned down at her. "So you couldn't get any sleep last night? Is that why you're saying it's my fault?"

Mortification shot through her. "Yes," she said evenly as she pushed him forcefully away while holding onto his handkerchief tightly.

Sharing her personal space with him in public was very unfamiliar and too uncomfortable. But in the midst of her humiliation, she hoped he understood why she was acting this way. As indescribably happy as it made her to have him take care of her like that, she wished her heart would settle down enough for her to gather her thoughts and respond with clarity. But no matter what she did, she still couldn't think straight when he was around.

Syaoran kept studying her with mild enjoyment. He backed off a little and slid his hands into his pockets.

She warily watched him in return, then said, "I'm…not used to this yet." She then opened up the handkerchief and saw how drenched it had become. Sakura mumbled, "Thank you. As irritated as I was about not getting any sleep, I'm…" She looked up hesitantly. "I…" The words were there, right at the end of her tongue. With an inward sigh, she let it out. "I'm happy. To…see you."

At the confession, Syaoran felt his own face redden. Unable to react properly, he said a little too curtly, "Why do you say those kinds of things then expect me to back off so easily?" He then closed the distance between them and said, "I really couldn't care less how embarrassed you are right now." He then planted a kiss on the top of her wet hair, having no care for the rest of the world. "If you don't want me in your personal space like this, don't say those things to me." With that, he stepped away and went back to his cubicle without another word or glance.

Sakura remained still. She could feel the ends of her hair still dripping. Even her clothes felt heavy and gross. And yet, there was that little spot on the top of her head that felt so warm. Her heart melted just a little. Despite how awful the day had begun, it was starting to turn out nicely after all. I'm glad I was late today, she thought with a foolish smile on her face.

…

When lunch break came around, it was the first time since she'd arrived that both of them had a chance to finally talk. Times were getting busy and work was piling up, and it became a little more difficult to find time here and there just to socialize with anyone. Sakura pushed off from her desk, in a better mood now after that wet morning. Syaoran spun her chair around until their eyes met.

"You going out for lunch with Tomoyo today?" He asked, sitting back casually against the edge of her desk as he was so accustomed to doing.

She shrugged her shoulders while admiring him. This was the first day they were officially a couple and it was a little more than she could take in. It still surprised her how things could turn out this way, but her feelings had grown and changed in the course of this period without choice. Staring up at him now, she felt completely and utterly attracted.

He poked her forehead. "Why do you keep staring at me like I have two heads?"

Sakura smiled. "I'm just admiring your face. It took me a while to notice, but you're really attractive, Syaoran."

"Sakura…" he began, knowing his weaknesses and already having a hard time stopping himself. It was that much harder when she goaded him on like this.

"Sorry," she laughed and began protesting when he pulled her up on her feet and started pulling her close to him. She straightened out her arms and stuck her hands on his chest. "Stop it," she insisted though unable to force back her laughter when he looked so beaten up about it. When he finally gave in and let her move away, she asked, "Did you want to eat lunch together?"

He sent her an exasperated look. "You're really slow."

"Well, I don't know!" She snapped back. "This is the first day out that… we're… you know!"

"We're what? I'm really curious to hear you describe what it is that we are."

"Why do you like tormenting me so much? Will this never stop?"

He shook his head in response. "Now come on. I really will kiss you in front of everybody here if you don't finish that sentence."

Paling at the idea, she quickly said, "Dating. We're dating…right?"

Syaoran laughed. When she sent him a deadly look, he sobered a little. "I thought you'd say, 'this is the first day we're a couple.' Dating sounds too casual." Unable to stop himself, he got up and moved close enough that he could almost kiss her cheek, but she shifted away quickly. "Why are you so shy about this?"

"Because! You never used to…to even touch me and now you just want to kiss me whenever you can," she replied indignantly, feeling a flutter of pleasure in her stomach.

"I am a man, you know," he reminded lightly. "Just because I never touched you before doesn't mean I didn't want to." With that, he took her hand and pulled her along with him. "You up for Greek? I'm craving it badly."

Giving up, Sakura tried to match her walking pace to his as her hand curled in his. When they were out of the elevator, she asked, "are we taking your car?"

"Yeah. Starting tomorrow we're carpooling. I'll pick you up from your house."

"What? But you get off at 7."

"Yeah I thought about it. I guess I don't need to do overtime anymore. When I plan to stay late, I'll tell you beforehand," he said as they walked into the parking lot. It was a good thing the rain had momentarily stopped, as neither of them thought to bring an umbrella that day. "Besides, this is the prime opportunity to improve your culinary skills, Kinomoto. I get excessively hungry after work."

Sakura opened the car door on the passenger's side then put on her seatbelt. "You really want to see me at my worst."

"I liked the food you cooked for me before," he argued as he changed the gear to Drive. "But it's your turn to suffer."

She slapped his arm strong enough to make a loud sound. "Is this how you treat the women you date?"

"No. Only you."

Sakura secretly stole a glance as he drove out of the parking lot. A warm feeling coursed through her. She held her hands together as she bit back the urge to reach over and touch his hair. The fact that they were together now felt so undeniably strange yet familiar at the same time.

What it felt like to be his…she couldn't explain. But for the moment, it was pure bliss.

::::::::::

Sakura wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she cut the onions into long, thin slices. While enduring the stinging pain at the backs of her eyes, she muttered a curse under her breath. Why she was stuck with making dinner for them on this wonderfully warm and dry Friday night, she didn't know. They'd argued about it for a while; she wanted to go out for dinner, willing to pay for it all too, but he refused several times and demanded, not requested, that she cook him dinner. It had come down to a rock-paper-scissors contest, one in which she'd lost. And now, she was standing in her kitchen, making two new dishes for the very first time, while he, her lazy boyfriend of two and a half weeks, was watching her from the dining table.

"Don't cry," Syaoran spoke up. "You lost, fair and square."

Without looking at him, she called out, "Why are you so persistent about making me cook? I don't even like the food I make, so how can you?"

"There's something gratifying about having someone put a lot of effort to cook for you." He got on his feet and walked around the counter to stand right behind her. "Besides…you look really good in the kitchen."

Her heart tripped. "Syaoran, move back," she warned.

"No." He snaked his arms around her waist and bent down. Before she could elbow his stomach, he planted a small kiss on the nape of her neck. He'd been staring at that spot for over half an hour and finally couldn't resist.

She sighed quietly. It was getting harder to push him away, especially now that she found herself always looking for him too. When he glanced over her shoulder at the array of vegetables she'd cut up, he reached over and grabbed a piece of carrot from the pile.

He moved around her and leaned the side of his body against the counter. "Why are you sniffling?" He asked with a chuckle.

She frowned. "The onions. I'm sensitive."

"Poor baby." He wiped the trace on her right cheek.

Sakura moved the onions onto a small bowl then pushed Syaoran slightly out of the way to grab hold of the thawing chicken. "What do I get in return?"

"For cooking me dinner?" He pretended to think for a moment. "I guess I could do whatever you want to do tomorrow."

She smiled at that, her eyes brightening. "Really?"

"But be sensible. You don't want me around when I'm irritated and impatient," Syaoran said quickly to cover his bases. As much as he wanted to make her happy, there were limits in what he was willing to do in order to make that happen.

"I want to go shopping. I have a few things I want to buy…like…"

"I hate shopping."

"Well, that's just too bad." Sakura walked over to the stove and checked on the soup that had already been simmering for twenty minutes. When she walked back to where he was standing, she smiled shrewdly. "You're making me cook dinner on a Friday night…something I've never done in the 26 years I've been alive…so you'll do whatever I want tomorrow."

Amused by it, he grabbed her again. "Kiss me and I'll do it."

She stared him down. "I don't have to do anything."

When he continued staring without saying a word, she couldn't resist and pushed off her toes just so she could reach him. A smile broke out on his face just before her lips landed on his. Their eyes closed simultaneously, as their lips rubbed in a slow and gentle way. During these moments, it was like the rest of the world disappeared and there was only the two of them. Their hearts beat in unison, at a pace slightly faster than usual.

He flicked her bangs playfully. "I like you kissing me."

She reddened, pushing him back again. "Go away and let me finish cooking."

He laughed, knowing her too well. He considered that he would probably never get tired of teasing her, simply for the fact that she became that much cuter when embarrassed.

Now alone in the kitchen, she was reminded of the last time a man had stepped foot in her house. Soshi, she recalled, had made fun of her choice of color on the walls and found her interests unique and trivial, belittling them. It was a little traumatizing, she had to admit. Squeezing her lips together, Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Syaoran, who was reading a magazine at the dining table.

"Syaoran."

He grunted in response.

"What do you think of my place?"

Syaoran glanced up, surveyed the room, took note of the enlarged pictures on the walls, and looked back at her. "I like it. The pictures you hung up are incredible. It kind of makes me appreciate the world a little more…how beautiful it can be, I mean. Your place is nice and small, but big enough for two people, so I have no complaints."

She threw him a contented smile. "I'm glad you think so. What about my choice of wall colour?"

"Eh? Wall colour?" He took note of the mustard yellow shade in the living room. "Huh. I don't know, I've never noticed wall colours before. It makes your place feel homely, I guess. Why?"

Sakura shook her head as gratitude filled with her. "Just asking. But you better be thankful that I'm putting 120% effort into this meal," she reminded and sent him a pleased smile over her shoulder.

He caught it. "I'm very grateful, babycakes."

"…Where did you learn that nickname from?"

The disbelief in her voice made him laugh. She'd stopped doing whatever she was doing and stared openly back at him. "I heard it from this movie once. It sounded so corny I wanted to say it to someone. Don't you feel special that you're the first and only person ever to hear that nickname from me?"

She hadn't known how charming he truly was until now. Sakura's snort came out before she could stop it. "I don't think I'll be surprised to hear you pull out a few more odd nicknames out of your butt for a while."

"Yeah…I've collected a lot over twenty-six years." He flipped a page. "I'll let a couple slip here and there. If you really like me, you'll keep count."

"Fine. I'll write it all in a journal."

Amused, he glanced back up at her. "Really?"

Her devious smile was hidden from him. "I'll do it so long as I get to call you Charming. As in my own Prince Charming."

"Shit."

Sakura threw her head back in laughter.

…

About an hour or two after dinner, Sakura suggested taking a walk along her neighbourhood. Syaoran agreed, wanting to spend more time with her before heading home. It had been a long dinner and considering it was Sakura's first time cooking those dishes, the flavours had been a little bland. Still, the fact that she'd gone through all that work for him tugged strongly at his heart.

As they crossed the street, she moved closer and held onto his arm instinctively. "Want to play a game?"

"Do I have a choice?" She elbowed him hard. "I would love to," he corrected himself.

"You tell me one of your favourites then I'll tell you mine. It can be any kind of favourite and I have to guess what kind it is by replying with what mine would be. Do you get it?"

"Ah…wait, so after I first tell you my favourite, say, instrument, then you tell me yours? And after that, you start with something else you like?"

"Exactly. You go first."

Out of all the women he'd been with, this was the first time he felt young again, indulging in something that was unquestionably sweet and innocent because of her. "Ah…let's go with something easy. Summer."

"That's too easy, Charming. Spring."

"Don't be unfair. I didn't call you a corny nickname," he quickly argued, earning another hard slap on the arm. "Fine. Let me guess, because of the sakura trees?" He asked good-naturedly, glancing down at her.

She met his gaze. "You're a smart one, Li." She angled her head in thought. "Hmm...oh I know, waves at the beach."

Syaoran thought for a moment. "I'm sort of going on a limb here, since that sounds really ambiguous. The sizzling of food when it's being cooked?"

"Yeah!" She cheered happily. "We're making a nice connection."

"Hmm…let's see, exercise."

"Pfft, that's not challenging. It's obvious how much you love to work out on your free time."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" He asked absently.

"For me, it's a tossup between watching romantic comedy movies and reading romance novels." When he laughed wryly, she scowled. "What? I'm a woman. We love seeing romance happen between two people. It's sweet."

He led her to a park bench by a flower bed. As they sat down, he studied it. It was filled with different kinds of flowers planted in a unique pattern. It was a nice and warm night too. The stars were out, which made it all the more romantic. With other women, he never used to notice these things. Why they mattered when it came to Sakura, he didn't know.

Sakura remained quiet for some time. When she felt his eyes on her, Sakura's gaze lifted. "My mom loved tulips. I remember my dad always buying different coloured tulips every Sunday. She really liked having flowers at the center of the dining table." Sakura felt warmth settle in her heart.

"Do you take after her?"

Sakura nodded, smiling. "My dad used to find it hard to look at me because it reminded him too much of her. I guess… it was just her time. It's hard to think about that part of her life. You know, the part about it ending so suddenly. I don't know, for me, I felt like I was lucky to be really young when it happened. Not really understanding it and not really feeling the pain in the same way that my dad or brother did." Sakura looked at him. "Or you."

Syaoran studied the flowers. "Yeah, worst feeling in the world."

Encouraging him a little, she murmured, "Tell me."

He shrugged. "It's like…you have no choice in the whole thing. You're left behind and you can't change it. Time can't rewind. You know how when you mess up or make a mistake, you immediately start thinking up ways to fix it or figure out how to get out of it?"

Sakura nodded. "Mm…like at work."

"Yeah exactly. But when someone important to you dies… you can't do anything about it."

She could see how hard it was for him to even let those words out. In comfort and support, she took his hand.

"You know, I wish I was over it. I really wish I was," he repeated. He then looked over at her, caught the sympathy and understanding in her eyes. Because thinking of Yuki always seemed to ruin his mood, Syaoran looked away. He didn't have to see Sakura's face to know this was hurting her. "It would have been better if I didn't have this kind of past, right?"

The question, she knew, wasn't so much as directed to her as it was towards himself. Instead, she shook her head, almost comprehending the degree to which Syaoran had loved this girl. "Don't regret," she murmured, though there was something inside her heart that felt hollow. "Part of the reason why you're the Syaoran I know is because of her, so…don't regret."

:::::::::

Syaoran glanced around the heavily packed mall and already felt a wave of irritation come over him. He hated crowds. The thought of having people constantly barge in on his personal space annoyed him. He helplessly looked for the store Sakura had said she was in. Two hours already passed since they arrived. She already knew which stores to go to, while he disliked the idea of following after her like a dog. She had been more than agreeable to let him go off on his own. Now it was time to meet for a late lunch and she still wasn't ready.

"Come find me. I'm still trying on a pair of shoes," she said on the phone.

"How long are you going to take?"

"Fifteen minutes? I'm trying on something. Just come!" With that, she hung up the phone and left him staring at his in disbelief.

He had some inkling that this woman loved shopping. He just didn't realize how much. This shouldn't have been a surprise, but as he walked around the mall, he felt annoyance build up again. He really hated shopping.

Finally, though, he found the shoe store. It was big, filled with women on one side, men on the other. He scratched at his head absently as his gaze swept the room then landed on the woman wearing the light blue dress. She was standing in front of the mirror, walking back and forth in indecision.

He sat on the couch and waited until she turned around.

"Hi." Her gaze travelled to his empty hands. "You didn't buy anything?"

He shook his head. "I didn't find anything I liked…while you, on the other hand," he glanced down at the bags surrounding him on the couch, "must have."

"I don't go shopping all the time, so it's fine," she defended then pointed down to her shoes. "What do you think of these?"

They were a pair of dark blue pumps, with a small black bow sitting at the front of the shoe. He really couldn't tell if they were a good-looking pair of shoes. He didn't know anything about women's fashion or shoes and he couldn't have cared less. Syaoran shrugged. "Your legs look great with them on."

Sakura reddened almost immediately.

He smirked again. She got embarrassed too easily, it was so damn adorable. "Aren't you hungry? Let's get something to eat."

"I am hungry actually." She moved the bags and sat beside him on the couch.

"Are you doing okay here?" The saleslady asked, walking over to them.

Sakura glanced up and caught the wide-eyed look on the woman's face as she gaped at Syaoran. Clearing her throat, Sakura replied, "I'm fine, thanks. I'll think about these." She put the shoes back in the box as she looked over at Syaoran, who was watching her with mild interest.

"Oh. Okay, then." The saleslady took her time taking the box from Sakura's hands.

She waited until the woman left. Then she turned to Syaoran, a little miffed. He looked back at her with question. It wasn't his fault; she thought a little bitterly, that he was just so gorgeous in that rugged way of his. He just exuded good looks and confidence that could make any woman bat their eyelashes at him. With some displeasure, she gave out a loud sigh and stood up.

Meanwhile, Syaoran was too hungry to notice. Instead he stood and took some of her bags.

"I'll hold them," she objected, reaching over for the bags he was carrying.

He pulled back. "No. Give me those." He gestured to the bags she did carry.

"I bought these. Let me at least carry some." With that, she turned and walked out of the store.

Syaoran walked in step beside her, glancing down at the bags every few seconds. He contemplated on leaving the bags in the car so that he wouldn't have to bring them along after lunch. He knew Sakura wasn't done shopping. "I think I'll leave these in the car."

Sakura turned and looked up at him warily. "Why?"

He sent her a look. "So you can buy more stuff after lunch. I know you're not done shopping."

She continued staring at him, suddenly feeling guilty for being angry in the first place. "You don't mind walking all the way back to the parking lot?"

He freed up his left hand and reached over for the bags she was holding. "Don't worry about it. Just wait for me here."

"I was mad for a second," she announced, interrupting him.

"What?" He blinked. "Why?"

"I… shouldn't have been, since you didn't do anything wrong. Sorry," she added sheepishly. "It was just that saleslady. She kept staring at you like she wanted to eat you up."

A grin then popped onto his face. "Oh really? Which one?"

"Syaoran…!"

"I'm kidding," he interjected, catching her chin and angling her face up. "You were jealous, weren't you?"

"No." When he kept laughing, she scrunched up her nose. "Okay whatever. I don't care. Take these bags, Charming."

At the nickname, he winced.

…

Syaoran walked out of the elevator with six bags in hand. It was nearing 10 o'clock and his whole body felt spent. He was already feeling ready to get some shut-eye. With the alertness of a drunken man, he walked the rest of the hallway to Sakura's apartment door and turned the knob with difficulty. He wondered if she bought something from each store in the mall, considering he'd carried up more than twelve bags at least up to her apartment.

"They're all here," he called out with irritation as he dropped them on her living room floor.

He didn't even bother waiting for her reply as he sank down on her couch and closed his eyes for a moment. How could he have known that making her cook a Friday night dinner would lead to a twelve-hour punishment in the mall? Sakura was so damn brutal, he thought sleepily. Just as his head hit the back of the couch, he began dreaming.

Five minutes later, Sakura came out of the bathroom after having washed up. She walked back to the living room, bent down and looked through the endless clothes, shoes, bag, and a few other accessories that she had bought. Then her gaze rested on the exhausted, beautiful man who was completely knocked out. Her heart melted a little.

Sakura touched his hair tentatively, not wanting to wake him up. She bit her lip in hesitation then went with it anyway. She bent down and planted a peck on his cheek. "I tired you out, didn't I?" She murmured without any sympathy.

His left eye opened slightly to catch the sly smile on her face. "I didn't know just how cruel you are."

"I don't care. You made me cook dinner last night," she countered before turning back to the shopping bags.

"Oh you don't get to escape that easily." He pulled her back and she fell on his lap. Before she could argue, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and used her as his own personal pillow. Burying his face in her neck, he closed his eyes again. "You smell nice."

After several efforts to get out of his fierce hold and failing entirely, Sakura gave in. Despite how her heart was bumping delicately, she managed to say calmly, "For goodness' sake, Syaoran, you-…we…can't sleep like this."

"So what."

"Why don't you let me go and you can sleep properly on the couch for the night?"

"Who cares how uncomfortable you are? I'm feeling pretty good where I am," he replied with a lazy smile. "Stop arguing and let me sleep, honey bunch."

She burst out in laughter.