Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.
Coffeehouse
The incessant patter of the rain on the glass panes sent a wave of calmness over a rather quiet coffeehouse. However, a stunningly beautiful woman seated in the corner seemed unaffected by the soothing ambiance. Settled into a red velvet cushioned chair, her dull emerald eyes stared out of the window, at the bustling streets of Hong Kong.
It had been raining heavily ever since she stepped into the relatively empty but cosy coffeehouse; perhaps the gloomy weather was mirroring her mood, she mused. Gently closing her eyes, she allowed herself a deep breath of freshly brewed coffee, her piece of chocolate cake left untouched on the table. A soft sigh escaped her lips.
She would have ordered a strawberry cheesecake but fate decided to intervene and mock her. The coffeehouse was only selling chocolate confectionery for the day.
Chocolate…
A cruel and bitter reminder of him. Chocolate brown tousled hair, mesmerising amber eyes, the perpetual smirk; features she had grown to hate. He loved chocolate.
At that thought, she leaned forward, lithely picked up the fork and then proceeded to viciously jab the poor unoffending cake. Her anger was reflected in the noise produced when metal repeatedly came into contact with porcelain plate.
A lone crystalline tear silently slid down her unblemished cheek and into the mug of coffee, barely causing a ripple. She reprimanded herself for the display of momentary emotional weakness. After all, she was a renowned model and the daughter of a wealthy business man. A woman of her standing should project the perfect image, one of gracefulness, wit and happiness.
The waitress threw a worried glance in the woman's direction and distractedly took a customer's order.
"A cup of hot chocolate", a deep masculine voice cut through the waitress's thoughts.
"Hmm… Hot chocolate. Please take a seat, it'll be ready in a minute." The waitress absently repeated the routine lines.
The man was slightly taken aback. The waitress did not stutter, blush or drool while speaking to him, one of Asia's most desirable bachelors. Something was definitely not right. Turning on his charms, he asked, "Is everything okay… Chiharu?" He read of her name tag.
Without even looking at him, Chiharu started rambling. "It's that lady over there."
His eyes travelled in the pointed direction and found his gaze landing on a familiar figure.
"She sits in that corner almost everyday around this time with a blank expression on her face. You see, her usual order would be a strawberry cheesecake and she appeared really upset when I told her that we were having an all chocolate confectionery promotion today. So the lady took a really long time to order a chocolate cake and now she's trying to murder the absolutely divine creation."
"Ah. Here's your hot chocolate"
He hastily grabbed the cup and made his way towards the table at the corner. Settling down opposite the young woman, he cleared his throat in the hopes of attracting her attention.
Startled, she looked up from the brown mess on her plate and found herself drowning in intense pools of amber.
For the first time in a long while, he was able to get a close look at the goddess who had been haunting his every thought ever since their separation. Her silky auburn locks cascaded down to her bare shoulder, brushing her smooth creamy skin and he had to resist the urge to touch her.
Instead, he fixed his eyes on those emerald ones that he missed, and the luscious natural pout, which made him wonder if she still tasted like strawberries. But one thing was for sure; she was breathtakingly beautiful in her green dress that accentuated her slender figure.
She found it impossible to tear her eyes away from him. Her heart seemed to have restarted itself from the broken remainders, pounding hard against her chest. He was more handsome than before, with his chiseled face and broad shoulders bringing back the buried feelings.
"It's been a long time… Sakura", he drawled, giving her a warm genuine grin that got her every time.
"Syaoran", his name escaped her lips as a mere whisper.
They sat in silence, each trying to memorise the other's features, afraid that this meeting would be their last. But the silence would soon be broken. His eyes had travelled down to her hand which was clutching the fork in a death grip. He immediately spotted a glittery band around her fourth finger.
She followed his gaze and was horrified that he had seen their engagement ring. Trying to rectify the slip, she dropped the fork and subtly placed her other hand over the ring. But she knew the damage had already been done, so she decided to ask the burning question, telling herself all she needed was some closure.
"Why… "
"Why what?" He frowned. It seemed like a complex question within a simple word, but he had no idea what she was referring to.
"You know very well what I'm talking about."
"You left me at the altar without a single word. You could have at least said 'I don't want to marry you anymore'", her emotions had bubbled over and she had no control over what she was saying.
"I beg your pardon, you were having an affair with some other rich and handsome guy. And you blame me for breaking the engagement? Besides, I told Meiling to tell you 'I don't want to marry you anymore'." He was seething. She had the nerve to remind him why it had never worked out between them.
"So now you are putting the blame on me, when I did not even have an affair", she bit out in all her fury. It was unbelievable that he had the guts to spin such a lie in order to sound as if he were the innocent party.
No one else in the coffeehouse dared to make a sound, conscious of the sudden change in the atmosphere. Sakura and Syaoran were so absorbed in their argument, they did not notice that they were currently sitting at the edge of their seats, gripping the armrest.
Both had leaned forward in the course of the heated exchange and they were just beginning to be aware of the mere inches of breathing space left between them.
Drawing back from the uncomfortable situation, the tension was broken and the odd couple lapsed into silence, mulling over the accusations.
"I did tell Meiling to tell you it was over", he repeated calmly.
"Well, she did not", came her curt reply.
Syaoran studied her expression and decided she was not lying. But all those years ago, Meiling swore she had conveyed the message to Sakura and that the bride could not even care less. Meiling even told him that his innocent, sweet fiancée had been unfaithful.
Meiling Meiling Meiling…
Unless, Meiling was lying all the while. The sudden revelation hit with the force of his entire bank account. He knew she had a thing for him, but it was hard to believe that she would go to such lengths in order to draw him to her.
"Meiling told me you were cheating on me", he murmured.
"And you actually believed her," she snorted. Sakura had seen through Meiling's facade ages ago. The girl had been jealous of her status as Syaoran's girlfriend.
Syaoran felt like a fool for believing every word that Meiling had said. He had let the perfect girl slip through his fingers because of some malicious lies, but he was determined to make things right again.
"Sakura, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have listened to her lies." He was willing to do absolutely anything to make it up to her.
"You can't come barging into my life, apologising for things that is history. It's too late to pick up the pieces and try fit them back." Sure, she was glad that they could be together again, but he couldn't be let off that easily.
"I know I've made a mistake, but the ring tells me it's not too late."
Without hesitation, she took the ring off and dropped it into her coffee. The object plopped into the brown liquid, quickly sinking to the bottom of the mug.
Looking at her, with eyes as wide as saucers, he felt all the life drained from him. For once, he was truly lost for words.
Seeing him visibly pale, she decided to drop her little act before he actually died from a heart attack.
"I suppose we can put the past behind us, and start over again." She said slowly, deliberately keeping him hanging from a thread.
Upon hearing the words of forgiveness, the colour returned to his face and he reached across the table to tug at her hands. The sudden movement caused her to lean forward, till their foreheads touched. He could smell her unique scent of cherry blossoms and she took in his aftershave.
"I love you"' he breathed. A declaration more meaningful than all the apologies in the world he could ever offer.
Fueled by their pent up desires, their lips met in a passionate kiss as they poured all the emotions they felt into the sweet gesture of love.
After all those years apart, she still tasted like strawberries and he, chocolate.
The rain had stopped and sunlight bathed the coffeehouse in an ethereal glow. Syaoran and Sakura broke apart with lopsided grins plastered on their faces, a sign of first love. He squeezed her hand.
"It's time to go", was all he said.
She nodded and they exited the coffeehouse hand in hand, ignoring all the curious stares of people who did not know what true love was. They were in their own world and nothing else mattered.
The waitress sighed. The drama was now over and she had to clear the table. Chiharu shook her head at the brown substance that was once a chocolate cake and the practically cold 'hot chocolate' left untouched. She wondered why the man had even bothered to order anything.
But then again, thanks to him, Chiharu had the feeling that the woman would not be returning any time soon to mutilate anymore chocolate cakes.
The coffeehouse holds many unexpected surprises. Just sit down to have a cup of coffee and you would find what you are looking for.
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"Oh my goodness. There's a ring in the coffee."
"Stop dreaming Chiharu."