Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 24

Sakura’s phone clattered onto the floor and lay forgotten as Syaoran squeezed the life out of her. It was as if he was trying to ascertain that she was truly there, not some illusions that he had conjured in his mind.

“You’re here,” he murmured into her ears, pulling her even deeper into his embrace and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. “You’re really here.”

Sakura was lost in his embrace. It took her a few moments to collect herself and to remember where she was and why they weren’t together anymore. She mustered up her strength to push him away and had to make herself look away from the pained look in his eyes when they parted.

“I shouldn’t be here,” Sakura said, looking at her shoes.

“Muffin…” Syaoran took a step towards her and she backed away immediately. He froze, eyes widening at her reaction. “Sakura…”

“You hurt me.” Sakura whispered brokenly as she put more distance between them. She didn’t dare to look up for fear of her reaction to him. “You pushed me away.”

“I pushed you away?” Syaoran asked. His voice ended on a sharp note of disbelief. “I’m not the one who ran away!”

“Don’t come any closer!” Sakura warned when Syaoran tried to go nearer to her, to hold her in his arms again. She couldn’t have that. She’d break down and bawl like a little kid if he did that again. Once was enough. She still could manage it once but if she were to feel the comfort of being in his arms again, she’d lose it all. “Just stay where you are…”

“Why are you doing this?” Syaoran asked. He sighed and Sakura heard him ruffling his already messy brown hair. “Why are you doing this to me? To us?”

“There is no us!” Sakura screamed. “There can never be a us! Don’t you get it? Kaidou-Kouchou won’t permit it! Yukito-san won’t permit it! Everyone is against us being together!”

Syaoran’s jaw hardened at the mention of Yukito. Ignoring Sakura’s warnings, he was in her personal space in the next instant and was gripping her arms, preventing her from making her escape. She gasped and looked up at him in surprise.

“I told you before that I don’t care what other people think of us,” Syaoran said, gritting his teeth in frustration. How could he phrase his words such that Sakura could believe in what he said? “I don’t care what people may say about us, as long as we stay together. Forever.”

Tears welled up in Sakura eyes and she tried to blink them away. She knew Syaoran saw them from the way his grip on her slackened and she was once again pressed against the front of his suit jacket. She made no effort to push him away this time round, not when this was what she wanted.

“What will happen to us?” Sakura’s voice was so soft that Syaoran had to strain to hear what she was saying in between her sniffles.

“Everything will be all right,” Syaoran said, rubbing soothing circles on Sakura’s back. “I’ll make it right. You’ll see.”

“Over-confident idiotic teacher.” Sakura’s comment had Syaoran cracking up.

“Does this means I’m forgiven?”

Sakura smacked him on his chest and he winced playfully in response. “Not that easy! You put me through lots of agony for the past two weeks!”

Syaoran’s expression turned solemn at that. He tipped Sakura’s face up with a finger and gently rubbed away the tear stains on her face with his thumb. “I’m really sorry about that. I panicked when I heard that Meiling was actually coming over for a short stay.” He sighed and cupped Sakura’s face. “You know it’s never my intention to cause you any pain.”