I'm In Love With A Plumber - Chapter Sixteen

I'm In Love with a Plumber

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Rule Number Sixteen:
You can't really explain why you like somebody,
You just like them because you do.

oOo

"Hey..." he said.

She was surprised to see him. "Taguchi-san?"

He kindly smiled at her.

zZz

Sakura stared at the cup of coffee sitting in front of her, asking herself what she was doing. She was having coffee with her ex-boyfriend's friend. What would that look like if someone saw them together? Kind of awkward...

"Were you looking for Syaoran?" She decided to break the silence. "He walked in when I was walking out."

The black head continued to smile. "Yes, I saw him while I was waiting outside for you."

"What?"

"I want to apologize to you in person, Sakura," he started saying. "I should've came to talk to you earlier, but I lost myself in work."

Sakura couldn't believe it.

He wasn't saying what she thought he was saying, right?

"Your father informed my mother about the engagement."

"Y-you're Shun?!"

"Eriol and Syaoran call me by my family name," he answered. "Taguchi Shun, ex-fiancé."

Suddenly, Sakura felt embarrassed sitting before the man—and it was for many reasons, too. One, she cheated on him and he caught her red-handed. Two, he chose work over her. Even though she had no feelings for the man; but being a woman, she didn't want to hear any man (especially her ex-fiancé) say that he put her off for work. Telling that to a woman was like saying to her face that she was fat.

No wonder Eriol said he loves work more than himself.

"B-but that time when you came to see Syaoran," she said; confused. "Why didn't you...? I mean... you obviously knew that I was cheating on you."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't call it cheating when you and I have no intimate feelings for each other, not to mention that we hardly know each other. I don't know if we should call it coincidences or fate. When we met in person, I realized how wrong my informations were."

"Informations?"

"The things my mother tells me about you to get me interested. To tell you honestly, Sakura, I've been against this engagement since the beginning. It's not you. It's just that I don't feel the need to settle down," he said. "I suppose Eriol and Syaoran told you that I'm a workaholic?"

She nodded. "They're addicted to work also."

"I have the worst case of addiction." Sakura didn't quite understand where their conversation was going. One moment, they were talking about the engagement, and the next... "That's why I was quite happy to see you and Syaoran together."

"W-what?"

"My mother wouldn't let me call off the engagement," he explained. "I'm quite the mama's boy. So my only hope was for your side of the family to call off the engagement. That's why I keep postponing our meeting date, to try to annoy you and all. When I found out that you were Syaoran's girlfriend, I thought it was great. Seeing how close you two were, I knew you'd call off the engagement."

"Being a little selfish to let me do the dirty work, ne?" Sakura teased the man.

He smiled nervously. "I was preparing to talk to you about our engagement, but..."

"Work?"

"A new project," he answered. "I was going to talk to you the day after Eriol's party, but I found out from him the next morning that it was too late."

"It's okay," she said calmly. "What's done been done."

"It doesn't have to be like this. You know it doesn't."

"There isn't much to hold on anymore. He found himself a new girlfriend and he's moving on just fine. I just want to do the same thing as well."

"New girlfriend?"

"I see them together a lot, and they look pretty close to each other. The woman was locking arms with Meiling this morning."

He suddenly laughed. "Michiru?"

"You k-know her?"

"My little sister," he explained. "Eriol's new secretary. Don't worry. She won't dump the boyfriend she has been dating since junior high for Syaoran."

Sakura blushed. "I-I'm not worry. It's not my business if he's seeing anybody. I d-don't care."

"There's also another reason why I was against the engagement," he continued. "You see, Sakura... Syaoran has liked you before I even found out that we were betrothed. I met Syaoran in junior high and we were good friends. I would tease Syaoran every time a girl asked him to be her boyfriend, and he told me that he already had someone in mind as his first girlfriend. It took me about a year but I finally got a name out of him, with my sister and Meiling's help."

"The person is me?"

He nodded with a smile. "He said the story went back to when he was seven. He'd met you at the hospital and he has liked you ever since. Eriol and Koji doesn't know about this."

'But you're special and just who I want to be for my first girlfriend,' she remembered what he had said to her once.

"I didn't find out about the betrothal until I graduated high school," he said. "I didn't tell the guys. Koji didn't know until he started working for me a few years ago. I made him swore not to tell the others. After Syaoran graduated college, he moved back to Japan partly to look for you, not knowing what you even look like after eighteen years or where you live."

Sakura couldn't help but smile and said, "Doesn't he know that it is almost impossible?"

"But he found you, didn't he?"

"Luck."

Taguchi gave her knowing smile. "Or something else..."

She knew what he meant.

Sakura finally saw where this conversation was going.

"I talked to Syaoran." He finally got to the point. "He's not doing as well as you think he is. He feels like he has done me wrong, but I told him what I just basically told you. I also told him that you called the engagement off, and you know what? If I know better, I say he seemed a little happy. Sakura, something you should always remember about men is that we're not as comfortable with expressing themselves. While I was talking to him, I could tell that he was struggling with himself."

"He's the one that's giving me the cold shoulder."

"He wants to talk to you, but he doesn't know how to anymore. Syaoran is like a kid, Sakura. When little kids are scared, they avoid the thing that's scaring them. He's afraid of losing you. He seems to think that if he can avoid you, then he doesn't have to feel scared."

"I-Is that what he said?" Sakura asked.

Taguchi nodded. "He still likes you, Sakura... a lot. I can tell by the look in his eyes every time your name is mentioned in front of him."

"Why doesn't he just come to me?" She was getting frustrated just thinking about it. Why didn't he? Didn't he know that she liked him... a lot?! Didn't he...?

That was the question.

Didn't he?

"Something gave him the idea that...erm..." the other man paused and wondered how he should say it.

Oh, God...

'I had thought that we probably won't last long...'

Her and her stupid mouth.

Just. So. STUPID.

"Thank you for talking to me today, Taguchi-san." Sakura smiled sweetly at the man. "You really opened my eyes. Thank you for your help."

"I knew you'd understand, Sakura," he sounded quite content. "I'll drive you back to your house."

zZz

Her family was surprised when Sakura came home with Taguchi, who was supposedly her ex-fiancé. They thought that she had changed her mind about the engagement or something; Touya seemed slightly disappointed when Sakura told him that the engagement was still off. So Touya liked Taguchi, eh?

Fujitaka invited Taguchi to stay for lunch, but the black head declined saying that he had a lot of work waiting for him at the office. They all knew that it was just a lie. The man just wanted to go back to work as soon as possible because work was his addiction. Work was like nicotine to him.

"So, Touya... what makes you like Taguchi so much? I saw that look in your eyes."

The man snorted. "He loves work."

"So?"

Nakuru giggled. "What your brother meant is that Shun loves work more than anything. He can live without food or oxygen, but he'll die without work. If you marry him then Touya won't have to worry about him touching you."

"...'cause he'll be too addicted to work...?"

"Exactly."

Sakura grabbed a chopstick off the table and started hitting her brother with it. "Do you want me to die alone or something?!"

He grumbled and folded his arms together. "Yes," he said.

"Oooh!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

But deep inside, she was happy.

Nothing changed, she thought. Touya and her were fighting like usual while Nakuru and her father watched from the side. They felt like a family again...

"By the way, kaijuu..." His tone changed all of sudden, and Sakura knew she was in some deep shit. Touya caught her in a headlock before she could escape. "How dare you!?!"

"I'm sorry, 'Nii-chan!" she cried. "I didn't mean to hurt Porsche!"

He growled. "Her name is Mercedes! She's a Mercedes-Benz. Don't you dare compare her to Eriol's shabby thing."

Nakuru rolled her eyes. "You named the car?"

Fujitaka smiled apologetically at Sakura. "He said he would do the laundry and dishes for three months if I told him who injured Mercedes."

Traded in by her own father.

If she couldn't trust her own flesh and blood, then who could she trust?

"I'll give you the bill after I get Mercedes fixed up."

"W-wait... you named the car?!" Nakuru asked again.

"It's perfectly normal to name your car." He defended himself and loosened his hold on Sakura.

"When I get a car, I'm going to name him Lexus or Nissan," said Sakura.

Fujitaka smiled. "We don't have to worry about naming your car yet, dear."

"That means you're never getting a car," Touya smirked.

"Otou-saaan!"

"Maybe when you're a responsible driver, Sakura."

Sakura pouted.

She was so a responsible driver. She replaced their mailbox, didn't she? Usually, people just hit and run; but she was responsible enough to replace the darn thing. Yup. She was responsible alright.

"I am responsible!"

"You ran over our dog." Touya just had to bring that up, didn't he?

"Okay, let's just sit down and have a nice quiet lunch." Their father decided to break up the argument. "Sakura, you can borrow Mercedes from Touya whenever you need a car."

Hey... Sakura wasn't complaining.

"...when you ask him nicely and he agrees to loan you the car."

Okay, now she was complaining.

If that was the condition, then Touya was never going to loan her the car. Hmph.

Life sucked.

zZz

"Hey, Otou-san..." Sakura went into her father's study room after lunch.

"Do you need something, dear?"

She nodded. "I just want to ask you something."

He closed the book he was reading and gestured to be seat across from him. "Ask away."

"W-what can you tell me about the day that Okaa-san passed away?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like... did I meet anybody? What happened to me specifically...?"

"Why do you ask, honey?"

"I'm just curious."

He propped his chin on his hand. "Your mother was hospitalized for almost a week and I would take you to the hospital every day. You would run around the hospital and play, visiting some of the patients. By the fifth day there, everyone in the hospital already knew your face." He paused to laugh. Sakura hoped this wasn't bringing her father sad memories.

She just wanted to remember what happened when she and Syaoran met.

"If I remember correctly, that morning you and I were coming into the hospital to visit your mother. You ran off to greet a new patient while I was signing in at the visitor desk, a little boy I believe it was. He was older than you."

"Can you describe him?"

"I don't think I remember after eighteen years."

"What did I say to him?"

Her father laughed. "Everything and anything that popped into your head. You were quite a little chatterbox. I had to pull you away from him when you suddenly kissed him."

Sakura jumped out of her seat. "I what!?"

"You kissed him."

She touched her lips softly.

"Are you sure it's nothing, Sakura?"

She nodded. "I'll let you read in peace."

"Where is Touya and Nakuru?"

"Onii-chan went to work and 'nee-chan is watching a movie downstairs."

"Ah."

Sakura walked back to her room, her father's words still playing in her head. She kissed him. Three year old Kinomoto Sakura kissed seven year old Li Syaoran. Kami-sama, it was unbelievable.

She plopped herself on the bed and hugged the pillow to her chest.

Her father was taking her to visit her mother like usual. Her father paused to talk to some lady at the big desk, and Sakura decided to wander off. Everyone in the hospital knew her face so if she should get lost, people could always bring her back to her parents.

She had just took three or four steps when she noticed a little boy sitting in the lounge. He seemed a little sad to Sakura.

"Hi!" she went up to him and said.

He looked at her for a second before turning his head away.

"Why is your eye black?" she asked curiously.

He grunted. "Go away," he muttered.

"Why?"

"I don't talk to girls."

"Why?"

"Just go away, little girl."

"I'm not wittle! I'm twee!" She held up her left hand. Apparently, she hadn't learned how to count yet.

The boy put down two of her fingers. "This is three, stupid."

"Xiao Lang, did you meet a new friend?" a woman with long black hair came up to them and sat down beside the boy. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Kinomoto Sakura."

"She's not my friend," he snorted. "I don't make friends with little kids."

She blew a raspberry at him. "You're wittle, too!"

"I'm bigger than you!" he exclaimed in irritation. He put a hand over his jaw in pain.

"I hope you've learned your lesson about picking fights," his mother scolded.

He averted his eyes from her and stared at the floor in silence. He looked up again when Sakura tapped him on the shoulder.

"Do you have a boo-boo?" she asked.

He scoffed.

But before he could answer, she already smacked her lips over his jaw, giving him the wettest and sloppiest kiss a three-year-old girl could give. He let out a little gasp and stared at her with open eyes; even his mother was speechless.

"Okaa-san always kiss my boo-boo," she smiled.

"I am so sorry!" her father ran over to where they were.

"Otou-san, I made his boo-boo better!"

Fujitaka smiled nervously at the mother and son. "I am very sorry about this! Sakura, sweetie... we need to have a little talk about kissing other people's boo-boos."

Sakura couldn't help but smile, remembering the stupid thing that she did. She couldn't believe she'd done that. What was even more unbelievable was the fact that Syaoran hadn't forgotten her at all.

And then she remembered something.

'Will you kiss my boo-boo if I say it did?' he had said once, not too long ago when he was hit and she'd asked him if it hurt.

He had liked her all these years.

It's decided, she thought. If he was afraid to come to her, then she would have to do something about it.

Throughout history, men and women were part of a cycle where the women were the ones being wooed and the men were doing the wooing. However, Sakura realized that in order for her to earn Syaoran back, she'd have to break that cycle. Therefore...

The wooer was now the wooee.