Summary: Syaoran and Sakura were college sweethearts, and Syaoran, at the most crucial point of his life, had to choose between moving to Hong Kong and staying with Sakura. With fate going as it did, he chose to leave her.

Years later, they meet again, but this time, everything's different. It's been 6 long years. His mother's dead. Sakura's no longer the woman she used to be. And worst of all, he's getting married to Tomoyo Daidouji. But at least one thing stayed the same. Their love for each other.

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Prologue Part I - I Love You

Sakura Kinomoto, age 22, walked to her boyfriend's dorm at 4:00 in the afternoon during a hot, summer day. The temperature in the building was boiling hot despite the windows opened all the way. Wearing a pair of blue shorts and a green hooded shirt, she walked on in the room after she knocked, her ponytail swaying behind her. The room was a mess. Of course, two men living in there tended to do that. She walked to her boyfriend's bedroom.

"Syaoran?" She called, knocking. "Are you in here?"

"I'm in here," he responded.

"Are you decent?" She teased.

He laughed. "Sure."

"Syaoran…" she started, a small frown downing her face.

"I am, I am," he stood and opened the door. "See?" He wore nothing but a pair of blue silk shorts.

"You aren't decent," she mumbled, staring at his well-toned chest and abs.

"But you're liking it, aren't you?" He grinned and pulled her in his room, which was an even bigger mess than the living room. "What are you doing here, babe?"

"I wanted to spend time with you," she smiled ruefully, "since there's only a week left until you're graduating."

"It's not that big a deal, you know," he settled on his bed, pulling her and sitting her on his lap. "I'll still visit you," he put his arms around her possessively.

"It's different, though," she put her own arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. "I won't get to see you everyday…" she said quietly. "And that's going to be so hard to deal with."

"You have tons of pictures of me in your dorm," his eyes held a hint of amusement, but his voice sounded just as low-spirited as hers.

"But I don't get to kiss you…or hold you…" she murmured, straightening up. "Don't you feel that way too?"

"Let me think," he started, pausing for effect. "Not…really."

Sakura gasped. "Jerk!" She slapped his shoulder.

He laughed. "Of course I do, you idiot," he captured her lips for a small kiss. "A lot more than you."

"So what are we going to do?" She faced him fully, emerald on amber.

"Enjoy as much as we can together," he said softly, going down his bed and pulling her with him. She ended up on top of him.

"Will you dance with me?" she asked, a small smile finally lighting up her downcast eyes.

"There's no music," he pointed out, brushing away her bangs from her face.

"So we can pretend," she replied. "Please, Syaoran?"

"Do you love me, babe?" He asked abruptly, finally settling his hands on her hips.

"Of course I do," she answered softly. "Do you?"

"Would you make love to me if I asked you right now?" He asked boldly, though his heart began to beat harder.

She stopped. "What?"

"Would you?" He asked again, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"Syaoran…" she began to pull away, her own heart trembling at his question.

He kept her in his arms. "Sakura, I'm not asking you. I just want the answer," he whispered. "I've got to know something."

"Know what? Syaoran…" she swallowed in nervousness. "Are you asking me to have sex with you right now??"

"I'm not!" He answered strongly.

"But…but you just…" Sakura stared into his eyes. "You don't want to make love to me?"

Syaoran's eyes focused on hers in confusion and disbelief. "Where did you get that idea??"

"You just said you're not asking me to have—"

"Because I didn't! I asked that if I asked you to make love to me, would you say yes," he retorted, feeling a little frustrated. "Dammit, Sakura, why do you keep twisting my words around??"

"Because you're never clear on what you're saying!" She snapped and got out of his hold, standing up and fixing her clothes.

"That's not what I meant!" He followed suit and grabbed her arms back before she could leave the room.

"Then what did you mean??" She asked, glaring straight at him.

He began to say something, but stopped himself. "Ok, look…" his hands held her shoulders. "Let's not…the last thing I want right now is to fight."

"I didn't start it," she muttered, pulling herself away from his grip.

"You are such a stubborn, temperamental woman!" He replied, grabbing her waist and pulling her back to him with force. "You did start it, sweetheart, and you're not leaving until we're done."

"What??" She cried, trying to get out of his hold. "Let go of me, Li!"

No way, baby. You're mine," he let his hold loosen, expecting her to bolt out of the door, but she stayed in his arms. "And we're settling this right now."

"What do you mean—" She began, but was cut off by the gentle pressure of Syaoran's lips on hers.

Sakura returned his kiss, snaking her arms around his neck, her fingers touching his hair. Syaoran let his hands stroke her back as he deepened their kiss, tasting more of her than he thought possible. She murmured a low moan that sent Syaoran dizzying. He pulled back and took a small breath before diving in again. His hands roamed her waist, settling on her hips. Soon, his fingers were moving beneath her shirt, caressing the newly exposed skin. Sakura felt his warm touch all over her body, making her feel just as dizzy.

"Syaoran…" she murmured, "I…wait…"

"You…what?" He murmured, angling his head another way. His hand left her stomach and traveled to her jaw, his finger stroking her cheek. "Don't worry, baby." His other hand held onto her waist, not moving any ways higher.

Moments later, they broke off, breathing in quickly. Their foreheads rested on each other as Syaoran held her to him tightly. Sakura placed her hands flat on his chest, catching her breath. As soon as they breathed normally again, Syaoran let out a deep chuckle and sat back on his bed. Sakura stayed standing, gazing at him with wavering eyes. Tears were welling and were starting to fall down her porcelain cheeks.

He stared in surprise and sprang up. "Why are you crying?" He immediately wiped her tears away. "Did I hurt you?" He whispered.

She shook her head.

"Then why?" He kissed the trails of tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you, Sakura…"

"You didn't do anything," she spoke softly, hiccupping. "I just…"

He pulled away slightly, gazing into her eyes. "You just what?" He coaxed, holding her hands.

She stared up at him unsurely, but in moments, she gave in. "I'm going to miss you so much," she whispered, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"Oh baby…" he held onto her just as fiercely, closing his eyes at the intense feeling thrown at him.

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Two nights before his graduation, Syaoran took Sakura out on a fancy date, promising dinner, a dance, a night stroll in the park, and of course, the specialty: making out in the car underneath the stars. With Syaoran's graduation coming so soon, Sakura took every opportunity she got to be with him. He did the same, taking in all he could of Sakura until he had to leave.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked as soon as he came inside the driver's seat.

"It's a surprise," he grinned and gazed at her with delight. "You look amazing." She wore a black spaghetti-strap dress that ended just above her knees, with her hair up in an intricate hairstyle.

She blushed. "Thanks…so do you," she murmured and smiled.

"I got a call from my mom in Hong Kong," he began, starting to drive out of the dorm parking lot.

"Oh yeah? What did she say? Is she coming for your graduation?" Sakura asked, turning slightly to face him.

He nodded. "My sisters too. They'll arrive tomorrow at noon. Come with me to pick them up?" He glanced at her.

"Of course," she smiled again. "I'd like to meet them. You've already met my dad and brother. I think it's my turn."

He chuckled. "My sisters are probably going to go crazy over you. Every beautiful girl they meet, they just…they…" he stopped and grinned. "Well, you'll find out."

"How about your mom? Do you think she'll like me?" Sakura asked hopefully, a little bit dreading it.

He began to make a good lie in his mind. His mother was damn impossible. "I think so," Syaoran nodded, grimacing inside. "Mom's a little overprotective since my dad died, and she's a little scary."

"You're not helping," she mumbled, looking out the window.

Syaoran laughed nervously. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure…I'm sure she'll love you."

"Do you have any older brothers?" She asked teasingly, brightening her eyes.

The tension eased from him, only to be replaced by a little bit of jealousy. "You're kidding, right?" He asked, looking at her and making sure she was joking.

"No. I want to know," she bit her lip to hide a grin.

"Sakura…" he began, still looking at her.

"Stop looking at me and focus on driving!" She laughed. "You know you're the only one I love," she teased, leaning forward and kissed his cheek.

"Don't do that to me, babe," he groaned, but grinned embarrassedly.

"Why not? It's fun," she giggled.

"You'll pay for that," he started, nodding. "You will."

"I'm sure," she rolled her eyes and laughed again. "Syaoran, you're such a doofus."

"So? You still love me." He placed a gentle hand on her cheek.

Sakura warmed all over, taking his hand and kissing the open palm. "Mm-hmm." She sighed happily. "I can't wait to find out where you're taking me."

"Well, you don't have to wait any longer, 'cause we're here." He pulled his hand back, driving into a free space.

"Ooh…it looks so elegant," she murmured in awe. "I don't think I've ever seen this restaurant before."

"It's our special place," he grinned and got out, walking over to hers and opening the door.

"Thank you," she said softly and placed her hand in his as they walked together to the glass doors.

Two men in black suede suits opened the doors for them, wearing polite smiles and saying their greetings. After Syaoran said their reservation, another man led them to a secluded area in the restaurant overlooking a bouquet of beautiful roses.

"I feel so out of place, don't you?" She asked, looking around. "The people here are, what, 30 or something years old?"

He laughed. "This makes me feel so old, but hey, I am graduating, so technically I am old."

Sakura laughed.

"Good evening, madam, sir," a woman greeted politely. "These are the menus, and the specials are in the back. What kind of drink would you like?"

Syaoran turned to Sakura. "What do you think?" He asked slyly. 'Wine,' he mouthed.

She shook her head, laughing. "Just water, thanks."

He stared at her in shock. "What?"

"I don't want to drink," she answered and looked up at the waitress. "Same for him, too."

"No, no, we're not having water," Syaoran interrupted. "What are you doing, babe?" He asked, frowning. "Water??"

"I…I'll come back later," the waitress said unsurely and exited.

"What are you doing??" She asked, glaring at him. "I don't want to drink wine."

"Why not? We've never tasted it before," he said stubbornly. "And besides, look how expensive this restaurant is! You're embarrassing me, Sakura."

"Like you get embarrassed easily," she muttered and leafed through the menu. "I just don't want us to get drunk."

"From what, a couple glasses of wine??" He asked back.

"After you drink that much, you're going to want more, and you're the one driving us, so I have to keep you alert," she answered back, frowning at him. "Besides, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is I took you out in this really nice restaurant and you ask for a cheap drink like water."

"So what? I don't like spending money," she replied, crossing her arms. "You're lucky you've got me, because there are a lot of women out there who only want money out of men."

"Oh my God, are you serious??" He stared out disbelievingly at her.

"What?" She asked in defense and went back to the menu. "I want the special. What do you want?"

"I want wine," he replied evenly.

She looked up at him. "Why?" She asked again, wearily.

"Because I'm leaving in 2 friggin' days and this is our only official date for a while, and I want it to be special!" He glared at her. "Come on Sakura, it's not like I'm going to get in a car accident and kill us both."

She bit her bottom lip, not wanting to give in. Syaoran pleaded with his eyes, coaxing her. She looked away, trying to compromise, and finally just nodded slowly. "Fine, but only two drinks."

"Thank you," Syaoran broke out in a grin. "Just two drinks."

Sakura stared at him with narrowed eyes. He looked back at her with slyness. "I knew you'd give in. I just knew it."

"Yeah, that's why you had to practically beg me," she said dryly, though her lips were already smiling.

Syaoran called back the waitress and they finally ordered everything. The orders came in 20 minutes later, but the two didn't seem to notice, having been in a very deep conversation. Once the food arrived, Syaoran and Sakura paused to look at the delicious, fragrant food, and they dug in. The expensive wine bottle came in minutes later inside a bucket of ice. The waitress poured out in two glasses.

Sakura cut a part of the steak and bit into it. "I don't think I've ever had anything this good before," she murmured.

"The only thing I've ever had better than this is your cooking," Syaoran replied as he took in his own food. "But this is a very close second."

She laughed.

He looked at his glass and then at Sakura. "I think people make toasts before they eat the dinner," he said quietly, glancing around.

"Why? Are you embarrassed again?" She asked mischievously.

He grinned. "Let's make a toast."

"Ok," she grabbed the glass in her fingers. "To your graduation."

"And to our relationship," Syaoran offered.

She smiled. Their glasses clinked and they took a small sip of the wine. Both coughed it out and spit it back into the glass. "Syaoran!" She cried, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "That tasted bad!"

He laughed, wiping his own mouth. "Man…that was the worst-tasting alcoholic beverage I've ever drank."

"Do you think it was just this kind of wine or it's all types?" She asked hopefully.

"Probably just this one," he answered, chuckling. "Sorry to disappoint you. Anyway, what should we drink then?"

"Water," she replied with a laughing smile.

He chuckled. "Deal." He called the waitress back and she got them two glasses of ice-cold water.

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"It doesn't seem like summer at night, does it?" Sakura murmured against Syaoran's shoulder as they walked along the park, hand in hand.

"No," he answered with a small chuckle. "Why? You getting cold?"

"Mm-hmm," she replied, "but I don't want to go yet."

"Here," Syaoran took off his jacket and draped it over Sakura's slim shoulders.

"Thanks," she whispered, taking in his scent. "You're such a gentleman, Syaoran. I like that."

"I'm glad. Wouldn't want to be dating someone who didn't like me," he grinned teasingly.

She punched his chest lightly, laughing. "It's so beautiful tonight."

"Feels like something else, right?" he murmured.

She nodded.

"When it's daylight, everything's going crazy, and time just goes by so fast. You can't enjoy the moment."

"But at night, it's a completely different story," she gazed up at him looking down at her.

He nodded and smiled. "You had a good time tonight, babe?"

"Lots of fun," she smiled, lighting up her eyes. "Thank you."

"No problem," he grinned and put his arms around her. "Anything for you."

She rested her forehead on his chest. "I want to skip the making out and just stay here with you all night. I feel like if I let go, you'll be gone," she whispered.

"Hey…let's not think about that now, all right?" He brushed away her bangs again and tucked them behind her ears. "I don't want you crying on me again."

"What do you mean again?" She asked quietly, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't like seeing you cry. I know I'd just bawl my eyes out with you," he teased.

"Shut up…that's not true," she replied, burying her face on his shirt.

"You're right," he mended, kissing the top of her head. "But it's true that I don't like seeing you cry. It hurts me, you know?" he lifted up her chin and gazed into her eyes.

She smiled wanly. "You love me that much?"

"You bet," he pecked her nose. "I don't think I've ever loved anyone as much as I love you."

"That's sweet," she whispered. She couldn't take it anymore; everything he said was perfect. Tears began to leak out of her eyes. "You're such a softie, Syaoran…not a lot of people know it. You're a romantic, sentimental guy. My…" her voice broke. "My romantic, sentimental guy."

"What'd I tell you…don't cry…please," he begged, wiping her tears.

"I can't help it!" She sobbed and turned away. "You're leaving…and I know that's not all of it! I don't know why, but in the back of my mind, I feel like you're leaving me for good," she cried.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her so close to him. "Maybe what you're feeling is physical separation…because I'm telling you right now that I'm never going to love anybody like I do you," he turned her around and kissed away the tears, much like in the dorm room few days before. "You want to go back?"

She nodded.

"Let's go," he suggested and took her hand.

"Wait," she nudged at his hand.

He faced her once again. "Hmm?"

"Kiss?" She asked, a small smile glowing her face.

Syaoran kept in a big sigh of relief and went to her, clutching onto her chin and angling her face. "I thought you didn't want to make out today."

"Not make out," she whispered. "A kiss."

He grinned and leaned in, closing his eyes as Sakura closed hers.

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To be continued...

Next chapter: Prologue Part II

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