Everything You Want- Chapter Two

Everything you want

Witch-Mistress-Animaru

A/N: Second chapter. Surprised you, didn’t I? Two updates—three if you count the full summary, in a span of less than 24 hours. That’s record speed for me, and for most of us, I guess. I’m on my way to writing chapter 4, by the way.

2: Everything she fears (and secretly wants)

“They read you Cinderella; you hoped it would come true

That one day a prince charming will come rescue you...

...And all these time that you’ve been waiting

You don’t have to wait no more...

I can love you like that; I will make you my world

Move heaven and earth, if you were my girl,

I will give you my heart, be all that you need

Show you you’re everything that’s precious to me

If you’d give me a chance, I can love you like that.

...You don’t have to look very far...”

- I Can Love You Like That, All 4 One

A month later, Sakura has written yet another bestseller. The hero is a somewhat buff-bodied, slightly arrogant and smart, albeit insensitive computer wiz who likes fistfights. The heroine was, as one might have guessed, your average Jane with klutzy tendencies and a habit of babbling.

Quite like the authoress, of course. Or how she perceives herself.

There is an additional character in her book, however, which caught the attention of critics: the heroine’s best guy friend; a handsome, smart, successful and rich man readers silently wished was the heroine’s love interest. But no—he remained a loyal friend to the end, without even the slightest hint that he’s attracted to his friend...although he did act occasionally as the heroine’s knight in shining armor.

It didn’t take a genius to see who this best friend is patterned from, if they knew Sakura, at any rate. And frankly, Syaoran so badly wanted to point out a huge flaw in the said character—he’s definitely attracted to Sakura, and she can’t be more wrong on that point. Really, for Sakura’s keen sense and a penchant for extreme detail, the girl can be a dunce when it came to the opposite sex and their feelings.

Yet the book has earned yet another bestseller for its sheer comic appeal, according to critics. It wasn’t just romance—it was relief from all the heavy drama and tearjerkers to be found at bookstores today. They said it was convincing, especially the best friend character, which was plain genius. They all applauded at the way she ended the story (many had speculated that the story will take the usual route of the perfect best friend being the love interest this time, but no!)—it was, as they say, unique. The hero may be imperfect, but he was perfect in the heroine’s eyes.

The best friend may have been ideal, in fact, too ideal, but he just wasn’t the man for the heroine.

Nothing could have hurt Syaoran more.

But he can’t very well tell her that, can he?

So here he was, summoning her to his office once more, like that first day.

The door burst open and in came a positively glowing Sakura. He smiled; his earlier disdain and disposition quite forgotten.

“Hey,” she said as she propped down in the seat before him, not bothering to wait for him to do so. “I’m pooped,” she went on, sighing deeply as she settled in.

“I surmised as much,” he said dryly as his secretary entered with two cups of coffee and pastries on a tray. “Have some,” he gestured towards the tray the secretary set down on the table.

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me,” she said swiftly as she took a pastry and began eating. “So, tell me, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Your book, of course,” he said blankly, and then he smiled when he saw her scowl.

“You can do better than that,” she said with mock disdain. “You’re not very good with my ego, Li Syaoran.”

“Oh, very well. I wanted to invite you for dinner. And don’t say you have some date to go to—you know very well that your date will probably be a fiasco again.”

“You’re being too tactless for your own good. How do you know it will be the same as the others?”

“Oh, yeah?” He said mockingly. “Let’s see...last week, you had—what—five dates? And I had to pick you up from wherever you’re dining so I can rescue you from your date that either made a pass at you or conceited or...”

“Okay, okay, I got the point, mister. However, I have no date for the evening. So you’re wrong on that note. But...I can’t come.”

Figures, he thought.

“I have to accompany my cousin and best friend Tomoyo to a fashion show later tonight. If you want to come...”

“Oh, not really,” he said quickly. He had planned it all week long, but it seemed Fate was working against him. “Go and have fun, then.”

“You’re not mad, are you?” She asked cautiously, eyeing his face with such wonder that he wanted to laugh. And weep.

Right on one, sweetheart. I’m so mad at Fate for doing this.

“Must be laughing to her heart’s content,” he murmured.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Have fun. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?” She can really be thoughtful at times. This didn’t help at all. It makes it harder to accept the fact that they’ll only be friends.

“Oh, sure, sure,” he said quickly. “Enjoy the bodz parading in front of you later,” he teased.

“What the—hentai, Syaoran, just hentai,” she bit out, smiling despite of herself. “So why don’t you come? See a bit of...ahem...flashy flesh?”

He snorted in laughter. “Trust you to turn my own joke against me.”

“Well, you know me. Words are my business.”

“I believe words are my business as well.” He said, smiling. “So we’re well-matched.”

“Oh, bother it all. Publishing books and writing are incomparable.”

“If you say so,” he said nonchalantly. Damned if he was going to let their conversation steer to work and publishing. “What are you going to write next?”

“I don’t really know yet. Maybe something angst-y for a change,” she mused. “Hmm. Now that’s a thought. By the by, I need to go soon.” She winced. “Tomoyo won’t take it kindly if I didn’t show up early to, as she calls it, ‘prepare’ for the night.”

“She really means everything to you, doesn’t she?” He asked softly, but she only made a face at him.

“She’s really unbearable most of the time—but I won’t trade her for the world.”

Then she was already standing up and leaving.

He sighed when the door closed softly after her.

He has just realized how cruel life can be. He was, in some sense, a lady’s man.

Until he met Sakura, there were dozens of women he were seeing casually. There were two or three he regarded as semi-serious, though never quite.

But Sakura came, and everything changed. Her presence reformed him.

It was just damned ironic that she didn’t see past the amiable fellow who was her new friend.

It was cruel of Fate that she allowed him to meet her if he can’t have her.

It was unfair to him that the one woman he truly, truly wanted did not have romantic notions about him.

Talk about karma.

Yet, despite all these, he kept hoping that she’ll see him one day as a man and not as a harmless fixture in her life.

But he wished she’d hurry up. He was an impatient man, and if she didn’t show signs of development he will...

...he will...God, he’s even worrying about destroying their friendship! Why can’t he just take her? Why can’t he just open her eyes to his true feelings?

Because that won’t be fair. It would tantamount to forcing himself on her.

He wants her to realize she loved him.

Love? He wanted to laugh harshly at that. When did love come to the picture?

Whatever. What matters is this: he will do everything to try and make her love him.

And if by chance she saw someone else she preferred, who was he to condemn her?

Even if it will break his heart to see her walk away, he was going to allow it to happen.

God, what a martyr he’d become.

Shaking his head, he went back to the proposals he was studying before he called her in.

---

“Aw, Tomoyo, that hurt!”

“This will only take a minute, Sakura-chan,” she could hear the evil giggle in her best friend’s words.

“You know well enough I hate it when you do this to my hair.”

“But curls are perfect on you, my dear. Sorry if the hair rollers hurt but that’s the price of looking pretty tonight at the fashion show.”

“Tomoyo, will it do me any good to point out that I’m watching the fashion show, not modeling for it?”

“No.”

“Figures,” she said with a scowl.

“Tell me, will Li be joining us tonight?” Sakura didn’t hear the matchmaking tone in her friend’s voice—maybe she was just really stupid when it came to Syaoran.

“No, he—er... I think he wanted us to have dinner tonight, but I will never, ever forsake—”

“What?!” Tomoyo’s shriek nearly blew her eardrums off. “Why didn’t you say so? I would have been eager to cancel our arrangements for tonight! Sakura, why did you say no?”

“Because I can’t say no to you!” She said stubbornly.

“Oh, God, what am I to do with you? Call him now. Tell him I canceled the arrangements.”

“Really, Tomie-chan, what do you think of me? That desperate for a date? It’s just a friendly gesture, you know? He invited me out for a friendly date, so we can catch up on each other’s lives.”

“Really, you’re not desperate, at least not so much—sometimes you’re just stupid.” Tomoyo has met Li Syaoran on several occasions, and unlike Sakura, she knew at once that the man was over the moon, head-over-heels in love with her best friend.

“Tomoyo!!!”

“I’ll call him now,” she said, leaving Sakura inside the room with her curlers still on. “Either I cancel or he comes with us.”

“Tell me, Tomoyo, are you attracted to him?”

Tomoyo stopped on her tracks. She was about to shout a sharp retort when an idea came to her. Smiling slyly, she turned back and asked, “What if I was?”

“Nothing,” Sakura said quickly, too quickly in Tomoyo’s opinion. “It’s just that...I’m not saying he’s a bad man, but...but...his reputation when it comes to women suffers, you do know that, don’t you?”

Tomoyo shook her head in disdain. Her best friend could be really stupid sometimes. She was already half in love with the man, but won’t even admit it to herself.

Sheesh.

“Tomoyo, you heard me, right? Tomoyo!!!”

---

Syaoran was going through some new publishing material when his phone rang.

He let the answering machine take the call, lost in his thoughts.

Until the message sunk on his senses.

“...Li, if you’re there, pick up. This is Daidouji. I figured Sakura turned down your—”

At the mention of Sakura’s name, he looked up, dashed toward the phone and nearly got knocked down by his own table.

“—invitation to dinner because of me. Well, I can make arrangements later so you can come with us or I can cancel outright so you’d have dinner with her.”

“She told you that?”

“Of course not,” she said, and he could tell she was grinning slyly. “But of course we could make it appear like this—”

Tomoyo let him in on her suspicions and he could feel his spirits lift in spite of himself.

“...if I can make her jealous enough, she might come around. What say you?”

“I don’t know...” and he seriously didn’t. What if the plan failed? “It may backfire on us.”

“Well, that’s a chance we have to take. Are you in?”

“Not exactly...but I’m willing to put the idea to test tonight.”

“So you’re coming?”

“Sure.”

“Great! Come around at seven. Bring your flashy car with you. Dazzle her, you know. Cause she’s going to be a knockout tonight, I swear.”

“With you on her trail, I won’t be so surprised.”

“Still, I’ll be expecting you later. Don’t be too late.”

“I won’t be.”

For he plans to win Sakura’s heart, and he knew he’s going to need all the help he can get.

---

“He’s coming,” Tomoyo said as she re-entered the room, and Sakura’s heart lurched.

Why it did, she had no idea.

“What the hell did you tell him?”

“That I was inviting him, of course.”

“Smart,” she said under her breath. “Why did you have to invite him?”

“He’s your friend, that’s why. Do you have any objections?”

“None that matter at this point,” she breathed, feeling ridiculously irritated.

“Good. You can’t do anything about it anymore.”

“Figures.”

“Shut up, we need to fix your makeup after your hair, so don’t squirm too much.”

“Tomoyo, I’m warning you...”

“Did I ever listen to you?”

“Not really.”

“So just keep silent.”

Figures.