Love Doesn't Have a Price - Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen – When Life Seems Wonderful

She felt warm and safe. Snuggling deeper into the covers Sakura cracked her eyes open, glancing around the room. The other side of the bed was empty the indentation of her husband long gone. Someone had already opened the curtains and one of the balcony doors and a chilly breeze wafted in through it. Dragging the covers up with her as she sat she glanced around the room before letting loose a sigh.

Facing the cool air she rushed to her wardrobe and tugged out some clothes laying them against the chair neatly before rushing into the bathroom and running a hot bath.

When she was suitably thawed out and had finally acknowledged that no, she couldn’t spend the rest of her day in the warm bath (it’d lose its heat eventually anyway), she faced the bitter cold and managed to dress herself fast enough that she didn’t get frostbite. Because there was such a large likelihood of that…

Assessing her appearance in the full length mirror she decided she was happy with how she looked. It was one of the ones Tomoyo had brought her stating that now she was married it was time for her to look older, more like an adult. So dressed in a white tank top and rose coloured finely knitted mini long sleeve wrap top with black flared jeans and stiletto anklet boots she felt prepared to face the world as an adult, or at least as the adult Tomoyo wanted her to look like.

Walking into the foyer she tossed a smile at one of the maids who was scurrying to clean up the room before greeting Alek cheerfully.

“What’s my schedule today?”

“You have a photo shoot in twenty minutes, an interview at twelve for Cosmopolitan and Master Li has asked that you join him for lunch at La Torta di Vita, he said to call him and let him know, he’ll pick you up.”

“Ok, thanks,” Sakura replied distractedly, digging her phone and keys out of her handbag.

Hitting the speed dial while making her way to her car – or Syaoran’s car if she were being accurate – she called him.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself.”

“You up for lunch at one? I’ve already cleared it with your schedule,” he asked sweetly.

She stuck the phone in the hands free while pulling out of the driveway, “Yup, I have an interview at Cosmo before that so pick me up from there, k?”

“Done.”

She grinned. Something about her dear husband had changed since the party, after almost a week they’d snuck into what she could almost imagine an ordinary couples life would be like. That is if ordinary couples both spent every single second they had working and had to sneak in time for each other.

Since news had come out officially of their marriage she’d been popular, three times as many modeling jobs had been coming in, from other agencies and Tomoyo had been urging her to expand her selection and accept them. In between them she had interviews with all the big magazines that were convinced she had the perfect life and was Asia’s new “it” girl.

Just as she was pulling into the parking lot of the modeling studio (you really had to love GPS systems) her phone rang.

“Hello?” she queried fumbling for it as she shut the door to the car and locked it.

“Sakura Kinomoto?”

She paused, “Yes?”

“This is Ritchie Lonsdell, we’re currently casting a new movie we are currently in the process of casting.”

She started, “Me?”

“Yes, you’re a rising new star with a huge future ahead of you."

“I don’t know, what’s it about?”

“The movie is about a young woman who is returning from studying overseas as her father has taken ill. On the way she meets Asakura Kosuke man with a dark past who is journeying to Tokyo for a tournament to learn skills. While trying to befriend this young man who makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her, several accidents occur causing him to rescue her. Eventually she begins to fall in love with him unaware that he can never love her back. Upon reaching her home she becomes aware of the fact that the tournament is going on, and that he is in it. She becomes convinced that he was merely using her to gain power and when he doesn’t deny it cuts off all contact with him. The story has many twists and turns, and the final ending has yet to be decided on but that’s the general plotline, it’s called Tainted Love.”

Sakura was unaware that she had stopped moving until he cut off abruptly in the storyline. Letting loose a small grin of frustration as she realized that she was now late. “It sounds very interesting.”

“So you’ll do it?”

Closing her eyes briefly to clear her mind she finally decided upon a course of action.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

- O -

She was exhausted by the time Syaoran came to pick her up. After two hours of being told to move this way and look that way and reposition her body just right and then another half an hour of being grilled on her personal life and subtly having to remind the interviewers that she was there for an interview on her professional life, she was done for.

The car pulled up happily beside the building and she grinned at her husband. A smile adorned his face as he held out a single long stemmed red rose.

Smiling she took it, “What’s this for?”

The flash of camera’s told her that her personal had just become public property but she didn’t mind. Neither did he it seemed.

“Can’t a guy treat his wife?”

Shrugging she crept into the car, tossing bag on the ground by her feet and leaning over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

“Anything new?”

“Just tremendously boring business stuff. You?”

“Uh, I’m…uh… gonna be starring in a movie…”

He glanced at her, “Really, since when?”

Letting loose the breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding she responded. She’d honestly been worried that he would be upset about this little fact but he seemed …happy for her.

“That’s great Sakura.”

She grinned, glancing at her rings. She’d been twisting them unconsciously.

“Now, you like Italian food don’t you?”

“Most definitely,” she assured him as they pulled up outside the restaurant, “I could have walked here you know.”

He grinned indulgently, “But would you have really wanted to ruin those boots?”

“I’ll have you know me and these boots go way back, I’ve been running in these boots before!”

Tweaking her nose he locked the car and they entered the restaurant.

It was small and cosy, not exactly what she had been expecting of him from what she’d seen so far. Two familiar couples sat in the back corner; looking up and seeing them they waved.

“I invited them,” Syaoran whispered next to her ear from behind her.

“You invited Eriol?” she responded skeptically.

“Ok so he invited himself, I invited Tomoyo,” Syaoran responded practically.

“Ha! Ten bucks says Moyo invited herself.”

He sighed pulling out a ten dollar bill, “Ok so I would have invited her if I could have gotten in first.”

Poking her tongue out at him she slid in next to Tomoyo and glanced at Mei Ling.

“I have news,” she stated dramatically.

“So do I, and I’m going first before I back out,” Mei Ling responded, fidgeting nervously.

“So tell us," Syaoran responded after ordering some drinks.

Mei Ling glanced at them, glanced at Jason who sat with a grin plastered to his face next to her and fidgeted with her hands some more.

“We’re getting married,” Jason said finally.

Mei Ling shot him a dark look, “I was about to tell them!”

“I believe you.”

His tone clearly inferred that he didn’t, but that sparkle in his eyes made it clear he was only teasing her.

“You,” Mei Ling pronounced clearly, “Are a loser.”

He grinned at her disarmingly before placing his lips against his in a gentle kiss.

“Woah, back up,” Tomoyo cried, “I thought you two hated each other!”

They traded a glance.

“You know, love/hate relationship…” Jason replied placing an arm around her possessively.

Sakura rolled her eyes with a smile, “Get a room.”

He grinned at her arrogantly, “Come on Saku, you must know how married life is…”

And the bastard winked at her. Of all things he winked at her. Just when she was about to snap back at him a hand slid across her stomach and a strong arm pulled her back against a hard chest.

“Oh we know…” Syaoran responded with a smirk.

Jason sent him back a smirk and Mei Ling smirked at Jason smirking and there was just a whole lot of smirking going on. It was at that point that Eriol who admittedly had been unusually quiet decided to speak up. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he stated:

“Well, Moyo and I will just have to get engaged too to join in the fun.”

Tomoyo snorted unwrapping his arm, “Who’d want to marry you Eriol.”

If Eriol looked hurt for a moment Sakura must have dreamt it, the flash of emotion was gone faster than she could discern and a mock hurt look adorned his face. He made a show of it before relaxing back into his seat when Tomoyo told him to be quiet.

Sakura watched them, it really was uncanny how much control over him Tomoyo had.

“Well I have news too,” she began leaning back, “Nothing so important or interesting as yours of course Mei Ling.”

They looked at her expectantly and she sighed before launching into telling them about the movie and how she was asked to sign up for it.

Tomoyo shifted sending a glance to Mei Ling that Sakura didn’t understand before beaming at her and responding, “That’s great Sakura!”

She couldn’t be sure, but why did that sound so… fake.

“Really great!” Mei Ling chorused.

Narrowing her eyes slightly Sakura shrugged, “So when’s the wedding?”

- O -

The city glittered with millions of brilliant tiny lights, glowing in the darkness. It was a beautiful sight. One she was sure she would never get tired of.

Yawning delicately Sakura leant back into her husband.

“It’s really to cold to be doing this you know.”

A confirming mumbled vibrated through her back and her ears and she behind at him grinning.

They were sitting on the balcony in one of the chairs with a candlelit dinner set out before them to one side and the lights of the beautiful city glowing beneath them.

“I love this house,” she murmured, leaning forward and grasping the hot chocolate that had been brought for her a few minutes earlier. Taking a small sip she smiled as his hand, snaked comfortably around her waist, lifted to steal the mug from her.

“Mmm, chocolate.”

She grinned at him and shifted slightly so that she was now half facing him, holding the box of Belgian chocolates he’d bought her close to her chest.

“Mine.”

He offered her a mockingly hurt look before placing the mug down and snaking his arms back around her.

“Mine,” he repeated, then leaning forward he planted a soft, warm kiss against her lips.

“Who said?” she queried lightly planting a light kiss of her own against his neck.

He grinned, “Me.”

Twisting her around so that she was now straddling his lap caused the blanket to drop to the ground and shivers crept up her spine as he gently pulled her down, caressing her face.

She sighed and leaned further in, planting her lips against his own and grinning as he matched the movements. His hands drifting from her face to her sides, stroking the skin there delicately before one hand slid against her back pulling her even closer.

She smiled at him as his lips left her own to form a path down her jaw to her neck, nipping and sucking the skin there.

A part of her was detached, watching distantly and wondering when it was that they had become so close. It was soon engulfed by the sensations she was feeling.

“Syaoran,” she breathed as his arms circled beneath her bottom, lifting her up as she stood.

“Hush love,” he responded breathily, “You’ll be leaving soon for work, lets make the most of the time we have.”

He carried her back into there room, slipping her down on the bed while laying over her, against her.

She grinned because she knew he was right. It was time to make the most of what they had.

O - O - O