Everything you want
Witch-Mistress-Animaru
A/N: Fourth chapter now. Four more chapters and an epilogue.
4: All she has dreamt
(The one she thought wanted) AKA
To get everything he wants part two
“I’m sitting down here but hey you can’t see me
Kinda invisible you don’t sense my stay
Not really hiding I’m not like a shadow
Just thought I would join you for one day.”
-Sitting down here, Lene Marlin
Sakura couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared at the man beside Tomoyo.
Oh god, oh god... She can’t think of a single word to say.
But her face told it all.
The man was perfect. From his bespectacled eyes to his sleek blue hair, he simply was everything she’d been dreaming of.
She had met her perfect hero, she knew.
Tomoyo cleared her throat though she felt like crying.
“Er, Sakura-chan, I’d like you to meet Hiiragizawa Eriol. He professes he’s a huge fan of yours. Hiiragizawa-kun, Kinomoto Sakura.”
“How do you do?” He asked, holding out his palm. She took it...and waited...anticipated...
...the spark she was waiting for never came.
I guess that was mere exaggeration.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she said softly. “I’m flattered that a man reads my novels.”
“Oh, they’re fun to read.” He said with a smile. “I loved the last one. Beyond enchanting.”
“You embarrass me, sir,” she smiled in such a flirtatious manner that both Tomoyo and Syaoran stared.
“Call me Eriol, if you please.”
“Eriol it is then.”
“Fine by me. But only if you call me Sakura.”
---
Sakura barely talked on the way home. When Syaoran pulled the car to a stop in front of her driveway, she merely said an airy goodnight at the two of them and left.
“Looks like you’ve got competition.” Tomoyo commented.
And her observations had obvious merit. Eriol Hiiragizawa and Sakura exchanged numbers and Sakura promised the former a date.
All in less than ten minutes.
“I know,” he said, gripping the wheel tightly as he spoke.
“This one’s tough.” Tomoyo said quietly. “But I don’t like him for Sakura, so you can expect my support.”
“Thank you,” he answered softly. He truly wanted to weep. Trust everything to turn sour somewhere near the end.
They were silent for the rest of the ride, both lost in their own thoughts.
---
Eriol couldn’t believe his luck. He lost all hopes of ever meeting Kinomoto Sakura, but it seems like Fate was on his side.
Romance novels weren’t his cup of tea. The reason he started reading her works was because of her face, plastered at the inner back cover of one of her novels that his secretary was reading.
And he lost all common sense in trying to get all her novels thereafter.
Now he has her number—she was within his reach. Everything will be easier. There came a time when he so badly wanted to meet her that he planned to send a fake fan mail so he can do so.
Only that would have alarmed her, so he thought better against it.
But now...he has to call her. He has to.
And call he did.
One, two, three rings...
“Hello?”
---
Sakura was chatting idly with Syaoran when an incoming call arrived.
“...if you’ll believe me, Syaoran, I believe this is my first date which won’t be a fiasco. I talked to him and he was very much an amiable fellow. What do you think of—oh, wait, I have a call coming in. Wait one moment.” She pushed a button and answered the intruding caller.
“Hello?”
The person at the other end of the line cleared his throat.
“Hello?”
“Uh, yes, Sakura, it’s Eriol here. Remember? We met earlier at Fukkusei.”
“Oh, of course!” She said, feeling surprised. Yet she didn’t feel too good about the call. She felt like he was intruding to some more important conversation.
“I was wondering if we can have coffee tomorrow, at lunchtime.”
“Oh. Sure, sure,” she wanted to kick herself. She knew her voice lacked enthusiasm. What the hell was wrong with her?
After having made the arrangements, they ended the call, Eriol sounding a bit disappointed that she ended it like that.
She returned to Syaoran’s line, but it he was no longer there.
She wondered why she felt so empty because of that.
---
They had coffee at one of the best cafes in town. She ordered a frappe while he chose a strong espresso.
He was easy to talk with, fun to be with, and he was certainly not a dimwit. Nor was he a braggart. Yet she didn’t feel too at ease with him. She felt tense all throughout and she can’t say she enjoyed too much.
Yet he was simply perfect. She was sure of that. The way he talks reminds her of Syaoran.
She shuddered at the thought. Really, Syaoran was the perfect friend a woman can have. But his womanizing habits are simply awful—she’d never burden herself with such a gigolo.
She squirmed. Then she realized she never really saw him with other girls, so she has no idea what he was like with the opposite sex, truly.
And suddenly she wanted to know.
What the hell, why are you thinking about Syaoran that way?
Shaking her head, she tried to compose herself as she went back to her seat.
“Are you nervous?” Eriol asked the moment she sat down again.
“N-not really,” she said with a faint laugh.
“Relax, you won’t have fun if you won’t do so.” Funny, but that was almost the same thing Syaoran had said to her that first day.
Oh, God, girl, you really have to stop thinking about him that way.
She smiled wanly, hoping against hope she can stop what she was doing—fantasizing her best guy friend while out on another date.
---
Syaoran sat in his office, pretending to pore over some documents, but not really seeing them.
Last night he dropped the line. Was Sakura mad at him? Probably not. He was sure he knew who called. He was sure Sakura was going on a date that night. Which is the main reason why he stayed in the office—it was nearer the restaurants and cafes than his house.
And he wished she’d call him to ask him to rescue her.
For if she doesn’t... then he knows he has lost her.
Yet it was already nine in the evening and he has no call or text from her.
God, please, no...
---
Her date didn’t go too well, she decided. It was passable, even nice, but it was, for lack of a better term, bland. It lacked the spark; the excitement she always dreamed would accompany her dream guy.
And Eriol was every bit her dream guy—apart from his looks—he was thoughtful, witty, sweet and caring. She couldn’t ask for more.
Except that there was a problem with her. She was losing interest in him. And she wondered why. Maybe a second date will clear things up.
It must, for she doesn’t want to lose Eriol, somehow.
She absently dialed Syaoran’s home number, but his answering machine took her call.
She dropped the phone back to its receiver, feeling disappointed. He was always there for her, she realized, and now...
She wanted to laugh miserably. She’s missing him, but she won’t even admit it to herself.
---
Three weeks later, Sakura was feeling almost comfortable with Eriol (almost is the operative word). There were still embarrassing silences between the two of them but at least they were companionable.
She quite gave up on forcing herself to feel the so-called ‘spark.’ She decided it was exaggerated nonsense of literary artists like her.
She still hasn’t talked to Syaoran after he dropped the call. She wondered if he was annoyed at her.
She has, miraculously, written yet another book and she has passed it on to the middle man (who was very much surprised, as she has been settling the matter directly with Syaoran the past weeks). She has not heard from him since.
It was as if their friendship was some hallucination she dreamed up. He disappeared from her life quite abruptly.
She wondered why.
---
Syaoran has very much accepted that Sakura was attracted to Eriol. It was why he avoided her like plague nowadays. He didn’t want another heartache anymore than he already has.
Tomoyo wasn’t about to give up, however.
“You can’t give her up, you just can’t.” She kept on saying, but he could tell the idea was losing its zest.
He changed his cell number and everything so she can’t reach him. He also tried to resume his dating activities without any success.
He can’t focus if the girl wasn’t her. Just Sakura.
Too bad he can’t have her, he thought. For she’s truly everything he wanted.
---
Eriol can’t understand his self. Sakura was everything he pictured her to be. But somehow, something was amiss.
He doesn’t quite understand it himself. He just felt like something was lacking. Like earlier that night. He tried, not for the first time, to kiss her goodnight.
The first time she dodged it and the kiss landed on her cheek. But that night, she allowed him a peck on the lips. But that was that. No romance, no passion, nada. He wondered if she was slowly rendering him impotent.
Or maybe not. He doesn’t quite understand it.
Shaking his head, he went and headed for bed.
Then his phone rang.
His heart leapt to his throat as he answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Hiiragizawa Eriol? Daidouji Tomoyo here,” he froze, remembering a certain violet-eyed temptress sending dagger glances his way.
Now that’s passion, he thought with a smirk.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, mademoiselle?”
---
Tomoyo gulped before she continued speaking. She was growing desperate. Eriol Hiiragizawa was Sakura’s constant date and Li Syaoran was hell-bent on martyrdom. Someone had to do something.
“It’s about Sakura,” she blurted out.
“Ah, yes, I figured as much.”
“I can’t let you win, you know. I bet your dates have been less than satisfactory,” she was taking a gamble, she knew, but she had to do it.
Silence. She waited in bated breath. Did she hit the bull’s eye?
“But that’s for me to know and you to never find out,” he said in an almost singsong voice, but she could tell he was lying. Perhaps she wasn’t so far-off from the truth.
She immediately dropped the call with a haughty “we’ll see” and dialed Syaoran’s number.
“Li? Listen to me. I have a feeling they are still less than okay. Will you stop being such a martyr and do something?”
“They dated constantly, Daidouji. She didn’t ask me to rescue her. They’re doing okay.”
“Stupid reasoning and you know it.” She said exasperatedly. “Listen to my plan...”
---
“Double date?” Sakura asked, surprised. “You’ve been dating Syaoran, haven’t you?” She eyed Tomoyo suspiciously.
“No, I haven’t,” Tomoyo said as quickly as she could so she could appear guilty.
“Tomoyo, you didn’t listen to me!”
“Come on, it will be fun!”
“Oh, fine. I also need to talk with that man. If you’ve been going out with him, I’d need to warn him about hurting you in any way.”
It was settled then. She called Eriol to inform him of the change of plans. That night, they had the double date.
Syaoran and Tomoyo acted like lovebirds. Eriol didn’t miss the exaggerated manner and knew that the war was on.
Sakura, meanwhile, who had no idea the two were merely acting, couldn’t explain the sudden tightening of her chest.
She thought it was because she was so happy that her two friends might end up together.
But then, why does she want to cry so badly?
It was as if...as if...
It was as if her heart was being ripped to pieces.
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