709Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or the Shopaholic series.
Summary: (sequel to In the Shoes of a Shopaholic) Shopaholic Sakura is back! And this time, she's armed with a gorgeous diamond ring… because Syaoran proposed to her! Sakura is thrilled – so many choices, from Chanel to Vera Wang… But soon, her marital bliss is overshadowed by the cons of marriage – and she's not sure if it really is fab being married.
I'm so sorry for this late update! I had the chapter ready last week, but when I was reading it, I thought it was really, really weird so I decided to rewrite the whole thing… and that took a while… And alright, I'm trying the best I can to not make it sound too much like Shopaholic Ties the Knot…! And this chapter is pretty long, in my opinion... Well, longest yet, I guess... lol...
Oh. And I've got some ideas for a new fic (again)... one angst, set in ancient Japan, one modern love comedy and one highschool love comedy.
Thanks for all those lovely reviews and your patience! XD I will update sooner this time! lol
- Love, Waltz Alone
Shopaholic Walks Down the Aisle
Chapter 3 – Shopaholic's Party
Ok. I'm engaged.
But I'm not going to go overboard. I know some girls go mad, planning a huge, kick-ass wedding for a full year. A year seems to far away, anyway. I mean, it's only the commitment that takes time, you know? Not the dress, the party, the gifts… did I mention the dress? Anyway…. Oh God… gifts… The registries… The dresses… Chanel, Vera Wang, Gucci…
No, Sakura, the vows….
I look at myself in the mirror, ignoring the water dripping down from my hair. I take my hairbrush and place it over my toweled chest. "I, Sakura," I murmur quietly, "take thee, Syaoran…" I frown, trying to remember what comes next.
"A bit too early to be memorizing the oaths, I think," Syaoran's voice makes me jump. He's grinning with just a towel covering him, water glistening on his oh-God-sexy muscles. Seriously. When does he go to the gym?
"I'll die of a heart attack if you keep doing that," I mutter, embarrassed. He kisses my shoulder. "Don't worry," he takes his Armani aftershave. "You'll get used to it." I roll my eyes and close my moisturizer lid, taking a second to admire my perfect ring. It's sooooo fab… silver and diamond is just me!
Hmm. May be I should get a dress decorated with diamonds… just for it to match, you know. And glitter. I'm sure Chanel has some… and I could get a matching necklace… and shoes… and get my makeup done professionally… and my hair… and nails… and get a spa treatment…
Yeah. You know, there all just normal things for a new bride.
I smirk, satisfied as I walk into Syaoran's room, slipping into a pair of faded jeans and a cute tank top that just shows my belly button – which has its own silver ring… Yes, I've got a pierce there.
…By accident, actually….
It was a sunny morning, and I was in front of Syaoran's bathroom mirrors, staring at my reflection blankly while listening to music. And well, I was kind of rubbing my earring against my belly button, absentmindedly… Following the beat. (I was in a bra and skirt) and… Oh God. It hurt like hell…. It bled. Like, GUSH. I screamed. Well, it hurt, and it bled. Syaoran rushed in and gaped at the blood. I think that he thought I got shot or something, because he couldn't say anything for a full minute before snapping out of it and rushing me to the hospital…. Where I got checked for infection… Then we went to Tiffany and he bought me this really cute belly ring to make me stop whining about the pain. And it actually stopped hurting afterwards.
Syaoran comes to me, dressed in a beige shirt and black pants. He grimaces a t my belly button, obviously recalling how I'd got it. "You're lucky you were okay. Some people… end up bad," he clicks his tongue. I shrug. "That's too bad for them," I close my mascara, admiring my now-long eyelashes. He sighs and goes to his computer, doing his routinely quick mail check. I sit down on the bed and open up my eyeshadow kit.
"By the way, we have to leave soon," he says, typing so fast I can't see his fingers, "Mother wants you to be there when the preparations are being made." He smirks knowingly, "I hope she doesn't make you cook, though." I ignore him and tie my hair up. "Thanks for that. Now I have to do my makeup to match my dress." I grin back, and he sighs and turns back to the monitor.
Tonight, there's going to be a huge party for us. Our engagement party.
Ahhh…. It sounds so posh and elegant!
Yelan, Syaoran's mom, organized the whole thing for us. I just can't believe we're engaged! Everything feels… so same, but different at the same time, you know?
Syaoran stretches after a few moments and shuts off his computer, just as I finish putting my makeup. And it's time to go…
I was meant to be a princess.
As soon as Syaoran pulls over on the long, circular driveway, right beside the beautiful stone steps leading up to the main doors, two butlers come up to us. One opens the door for me and the other for Syaoran, taking his keys to park the car for him. As I admire the gardens, the other butler opens the grand doors for us, revealing the bright, beautiful interior with the bowing maids and people.
Syaoran made me covermy belly button before we left the house, though… But I still feel like a princess, walking down the corridor like this… Later on, I'll be walking down the same hall, beneath the crystal chandelier and alongside the paintings, dressed in my fab dress…
One of the maids takes my carrier bag (with my eveningwear in it) and takes it to the coat room. And all of a sudden, there is an eruption. Literally.
Squeals I can't decipher pierce my ears and I'm pulled into a murderously tight squeeze… In between four tall, pretty women. Who are married and have kids. Weird, I know…
"Oh my gosh Sakura! It's been sooo long!"
"Your hair grew! It's so cute!"
"So how is working for the most stuck up, spoiled, rich brat in our family? No offense."
"Ooh! You have to let me do your nails before the party!"
Before I know it, I'm being dragged into the kitchen… Past all the workers setting the flowers and stuff… "Syaoran!" I desperately call, but he merely smirks, waves and starts going up the stairs. That traitor… If he thinks he's getting anything from me today, well, he's not.
…Well, may be he is, but not all of it!
Oh, screw it…
Anyways, I'm led right to Yelan, the tall, beautiful and elegant woman who gives off this really intimidating aura… That's where Syaoran gets his Obi-Wan powers from… She's got the Force, he's got the mind reading thing… And the sisters… well… Well. Um… You know… Freaky family.
"Hello, Sakura," she smiles and hugs me, and I can't help but notice how fabulous her outfit is… So posh! A black suit-ish-kind-of-outfit that looks like it's for business and a night out. Wow. By Prada, too.
I grin nervously and hug her back. You know, it's awkward talking to your boyfriend… I mean, fiancé, husband-to-be's mother.
"So," I slap my side, a bit too hard. "What can I do?"
Yelan smiles as her daughters begin to giggle. "The girls will ask a favour of you while I look after the preparations," she gives them an amused look before turning to talk to the chef and the maids.
I fidget around with my hands nervously. The sisters grin and lead me across the enormous marble floor, past the pale silk walls decorated with gold-framed paintings. And we enter the huge living room with a grand piano, antique couches and matching furniture… and…
Babies.
Oh God.
Oh my God!
They can't possibly…
"Will you babysit our kids so we can go pick up our dresses?" I vaguely hear one of them ask. "A…And all of you need to go?" I stutter, managing not to faint as a dark-haired toddler crawls towards me with hands covered in baby food… at least… I think it's baby food… "Yes!" they say in unison.
"Well, Sakura, thanks and good luck!"
After they exit, there's silence except for the cooing and the wails.
Oh shit. They can't expect me, the bride-to-be, the star of the evening to actually… Oh man. But wait.
If I handle this really, really well, may be… Syaoran will be impressed, Yelan will be impressed, the sisters will probably be impressed… Everyone will be impressed! Yes! I'll impress my family-in-law. Yes. I'm a genius. I've just got to babysit a few kids. I mean, I've done babysitting when I was a teen. For a day. I mean, one's an infant who can't walk, another is a year old, the twins are three and the other is four! How hard can it be? They're little kids!
I hate babysitting.
It must have been like, the whole frickin day! I probably missed my whole party! I mean, Syaoran and my party! I was here since I got here! And thanks to these monster kids, my perfectly faded Marc Jacobs jeans are ruined! There's goo on it! I don't know what the hell it is and I don't want to know what the hell it is! It's disgusting!
And I have fucking dirt stains on my beige Guess jacket! The twins (both boys) threw a ball at me! No manners at all! And the infant puked on my shoulder… which is gross because I took off my jacket and all I had was a black tanktop… The four-year old kid grabbed my hair (and his fingers were dirty) and pretended to shoot me with a gun. How violent is that! The girl (who can barely talk) is blabbering something to me, holding up a Barbie dressed in a frilly gown.
My head hurts… I'm carrying the infant in my arms, the twins are running around me continuously, the boy is still pretending to shoot me with that stupid gun, and the girl is having a tantrum because her Barbie won't eat the food.
Why the hell did I come here? Oh yeah, my party… I mean, our party… Where the hell's Syaoran? His wife-to-be is about to die right here, thanks to his nieces and nephews!
Speak of the devil, there he is.
He looks so much hotter, since all I've had to look at were little babies.
Then I glare at him. "Get your butt over here!" I snap. He raises his eyebrows and obeys wordlessly. He's about to lean in and kiss me when he smells the baby burp on my shoulder and sees the unknown chunks in my hair. He grimaces and stares down at all his nieces and nephews. "They made you babysit them…" he slowly states, nearly losing his balance as the four-year old abandons his gun (chucking it at my back) and tackles his legs.
"No, really?" I mutter sarcastically, unable to think pleasantly anymore. Syaoran smirks as he brings his nephew up into the air. "You're doing pretty well, actually," he stares down at the twins, who are now running around us in circles. Don't they get dizzy? The girl stopped wailing and turned her attention to the TV, which is safely set on some kids program I don't know.
"Can you please, please take over? I think I'm gonna die," I whine, giving my infamous puppy pout and eyes. His lips twitch as he tries not to laugh. "It's not funny! These kids have something against me! I'm not even kidding!" I gesture at my jacket, with is placed high up on some column so the kids can't reach it. "My jacket's dirty, I smell like baby puke, my jeans are ruined, my-" "Why don't you just ask the maids to look after them?" he looks up with a totally deadpan face.
I gape at him.
The maids.
The bloody maids running around in their little aprons.
Why the hell…
Oh my…
This is…
I control myself and I set the baby down on the couch, resist myself from kicking Syaoran and walk as gracefully as I can manage towards the maid wiping the floor.
"Um, can you please… like, look after the kids for me?" I manage to ask as pleasantly as I can as to not distress the poor maid. She takes a second to observe my mess before smiling sympathetically and getting up. "Sure, miss," she goes towards the living room, to my relief. Syaoran sets his nephew down and comes to me, grinning.
I lean my head against his chest, feeling wiped out. "What time is it?" I mumble. He glances over at his watch. "It's nearly five o' clock," he takes my shoulders and straightens me up. "Time to get ready," he smiles and kisses my forehead, "Tomoyo and Eriol will be here any minute."
I nod. "Where's your bathroom? The one with the huge bathtub?"
He grins and leads me up the stairs. I'm going to have to freshen up, recharge my batteries and look fab before people start arriving. I mean, I'm the bride. To be.
"Sakura Kinomoto! Stay still! Do you want to have geisha eyes?" snaps an irritated Tomoyo, struggling to draw my eyes. I stop fidgeting around with my shoes… Well, they're like, really high… but they're really hot… but they kind of hurt… but I guess I can handle it if it's hot…
And my dress. Oh, my dress… I love my dress. It's a Vera Wang… and…
"Sakura! Chin up! My God, are you the corpse bride or something? Seriously!" Tomoyo slaps my cheek to snap me out of my stupor. "Sorry! It's just… it's really weird! You know…" I trail away, letting her apply mascara on my lashes.
"I know how you feel, I've been through it," she smiles and steps back, satisfied with her work. "I outta be a professional makeup artist or something! Seriously, I'm good!" she grins, swinging her hair back. I laugh and roll my eyes. "Talk about being narcissistic," I say, shaking away my nervousness. I mean, I probably will look better than half the skinny bitches tonight. I mean, I'm the Bride-To-Be-Who-Overcame-The-Evil-Children.
"You're ready," Tomyoo beams and hugs me. "Let's head down and get the party started!"
Alright. Maybe my fabulous, gorgeous, chic black cocktail dress with beaded patterns on the skirt, a low back and glittery straps is very expensive and very stylish.
But… but… why couldn't I have that absolutely Hollywood-style white Chanel gown that skinny girl's wearing? How come she's outshining me? In my party? Our party, our party.
I've quietly come down the stairs with Tomoyo, who immediately joined Eriol for a champagne as I went off to look for Syaoran.
The amount of guests is unbelievable.
I mean, this house is huge, and it almost seems crowded! There are pin-thin women and girls in designer dresses, probably custom made (comparing to them, my wardrobe is nothing!), well-dressed men who seem to think themselves important, and a bunch of seniors with champagne talking to each other. There's a pianist on the grand piano in the living room, and a gentle, pleasant tune is flowing through the house.
Some girls are giving me the Manhattan Onceover as I pretend to be admiring the Chinese vases on the art columns, purposely fidgeting around with my Louis Vuitton diamond necklace that matches my ring perfectly. And at that moment, I smell that familiar Armani fragrance as Syaoran comes up to me and kisses me fully on the lips. I would have gladly done some more PDA (to show the girls that this is in fact, my fiancé, who is hot, rich and sexy… and to relieve myself from the unfamiliar crowd), but I spot Yelan and I quickly pull back.
You know. It's awkward…
Syaoran takes my shoulder and hands me a champagne glass from the passing waitress, sipping his own. "So, do you know these people?" I ask as we walk around. Syaoran shrugs. "Some are family, most are business people…. I actually was talking to your dad before I came here," he gives a nod at some guy who waves at him.
"Yeah? I'll go talk to him later, then…" I manage to turn my head behind his shoulder when a yawn breaks out. Syaoran gives me an amused look. "Bored already" he grins. "Engagement parties are nothing like clubbing," I whine. He smirks, skimming around the crowd as we pass by them. "Well, I think I've greeted enough people," he says, almost tripping over a cascading flower arrangement and grinning.
I look over the long table draped in clean white, decorated with flowers and food. "And?" I force myself to look away from the dessert. No dessert or my dress will rip. It's small enough already. Well, of course dress sizes are smaller than normal clothes…
Syaoran plays with the back of my necklace, sending a tingle down my neck. "Do you want to head to the bathroom with me? It's pretty posh in there, as you would call it," he smirks. Oh God. I expected it, but I can't help but giggle like a little girl. I mean, it's my husband-to-be! Of course he wants to… and I want to… collaborate. If that's the right word… It sounds like the right word.
"Lead the way," I grin.
And on the way, we encounter a few familiar faces…
My brother, Touya, and his wife, Kaho… (Touya was grumbling about something while Kaho was complimenting me about something…) then Tomoyo and Eriol (who were taking turns calling the nanny to make sure Danny was not kidnapped, killed, burned, drowned or anything… every five minutes…), Syaoran's sisters (I didn't talk to them), Yelan and my dad, Fujitaka, and a few people from work.
Finally, we enter the sumptuous ensuite, complete with racks of luxury soaps and bottles of perfume, a comfy couch and a huge bathtub… I actually took a bath here before dressing up. I love it here. It's so… princess-like.
Anyway… Syaoran sets his glass down on the counter and immediately pulls me into a make out-session… and, well… you know we're both bored… or at least I'm bored. We begin… fooling around.
The next thing I know, I'm up on the counter with his hand up my dress and his tie somewhere behind me. At one point someone knocked on the door, but we ignored them and continued on… I think my underwear cam off. I'm not sure. I think I drank too much champagne. I feel all giddy and giggly. Well, I always do, when we're… fooling around.
Syaoran suddenly breaks away from the kiss to gaze straight into my eyes, though his hands stay where they are… I blink, taking the chance to lean against the cool mirror.
"Move in with me," he says, his voice a bit husky.
I blink once more. "Huh?" I blurt out before I can stop myself. He smirks.
Well, I guess I should have been ready for this, since… well, we're getting married, and today's our engagement party… and… well, when you're married you live in the same house. Duh. Stupid me.
"What if the bedsprings break?" I blurt out once more, unable to help it. Syaoran gives me a weird look before throwing his head back in laughter. "I think I can afford a few mattresses," he grins, kissing my lips. "Does that mean yes?"
"Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I," I sigh dramatically. He smirks. "No, you don't."
With that the… session begins again… and I manage to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind Syaoran.
I have a gorgeous ring on my wedding finger, a fab dress and necklace, a hot, caring fiancé who loves me.
Remember this, Sakura… this is one of the happiest moment of your life…
I can't help but grin at my reflection in the mirror before turning my attention back to Syaoran.
And it's a miracle no one except Tomoyo and Eriol realized what happened after we finally returned downstairs for the banquet… because I think we both looked very much like people who just did what we were doing…
Chapter 3 – Shopaholic's Party - End
Alright, I think I paid back the late update with this enormously long chapter. Lol…
Loved it? Hated it? Please drop me a review! XD