Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 13

Sakura was hopping off the motorcycle even before Syaoran could kill the engine. She tossed her helmet to him and was rushing into the house in record time using the spare key that Syaoran gave her. Thanks to the spare key, Sakura didn’t have to wait for Syaoran to leave the school before she could go home.  However, she still felt weird to be living in her homeroom teacher’s place and that was the reason why she always kept to her room—she didn’t want to have another episode of sleeping in Syaoran’s arms even though it was really pleasant.

 “Wait up!” Syaoran called out, trying to halt her but she was quick on her feet.

“Thanks for the ride!” she replied cheerfully, giving him a slight wave before she climbed the stairs in record time and closed herself into her spacious room. She leaned her back against the door and sighed. It was a long and tiring day. Syaoran’s presence in the shop only added to her stress level for the whole day. It was difficult for her to concentrate on anything else besides knowing that he was there in the same place as her.

Her bag slid from her shoulder onto the floor with a loud thud. Paying no heed to it, she lumbered forward to her bed and plopped face-down onto it. She squeezed the pillow into her face for a few seconds as if that would give her an energy boost and flipped onto her bed in the next second to stare at the ceiling. Her mind was too tired to work. The only thing she knew was she needed to take a bath before sleeping but that thought slipped away as she slumbered.

***

Sakura jerked awake with a start, clutching her covers in a tight grasp and breathing hard. Her alarm clock continued to buzz loudly, its sound was sharp and annoying. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding on to and slapped down her alarm clock.

Her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her that she had to eat something before heading off for work. She stumbled to the adjourning toilet to prepare herself for a busy day. She wasn’t surprised to see Syaoran had already woken up and was hovering over the kitchen stove.

“Good morning, Li-sensei,” Sakura greeted and seated herself at the dining table, letting her head drop onto the surface tiredly.

Syaoran turned to frown at her. “Must you call me sensei at home?”

“Absolutely!” Sakura replied with a grin.

"You are awfully cheerful today," Syaoran remarked, tossing the pancakes onto the pile on the plate. She remained prone at the table even as he placed the delicious looking pancakes--her favorite-- on the table. "Hey, you look pale. Are you feeling all right?"

Sakura stifled a groan as she sat up straight in her chair. Funny, she was perfectly all right just a few moments ago. Her head spun as she straightened and she stifled a groan when the dizziness hit her. "I'm fine," she grounded out. She was far from fine but she didn't want to worry Syaoran. "I just need some food in my stomach."

Syaoran passed her a plate and watched as she slid one pancake onto her own plate and poured maple syrup over it. She caught his worried look and sent him a weak smile. "You really don't look good. Why don't you just rest at home today?"

Sakura shrugged. The cosplay cafe would be really busy and she couldn't afford to miss day at work since Tomoyo was the one who introduced her the job. She didn't want to leave a bad impression on Junko. "I'll be fine later on," she promised and that was a lie. She was beginning to feel a little light-headed.

"Skip work," he urged again, pulling her plate away so she couldn't eat.

"I can't!" she said, tempted to throw the fork onto the table in annoyance. "I can't let Tomoyo-chan and Junko-san down. I have to work. I promised them."