Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Surprise, Blossom ❯ It Happens Late ( Chapter 4 )

Sakura's P.O.V

The next day I woke up at 1:00, which was just perfect because we were to meet at 2:00pm.

I washed my pink shoulder-length hair and then picked out a nice matching pink sundress. I decided to put on my favorite silver hoop earrings and then sprayed myself with citrus perfume.

You look good, Sakura. I stared at myself in the mirror but found it hard to smile. Sasuke likes citrus. Sasuke likes my hoop earrings. He complimented this dress the last time I wore it. Yep, I was definitely trying to impress him. I shook my head at myself and then picked up my white purse.

The one Sasuke had given me for my last birthday.

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The street to Ichi's Ramen was a thin one, with stores on either side. At the end of the street was a single wide shop: Ichi's Ramen.

As I neared it a familiar laugh reached my ears. Naruto was howling inside, and beneath the curtain that acted as a door I could see his and Sasuke's feet dangling from a pair of chairs. Between them was an empty spot, one that they had probably saved for me.

I stood in front of the shop for a long time, taking deep calming breaths. Finally, I made myself push aside the curtain and walk in.

Naruto was practically laughing into his bowl. I found myself smiling at the scene. Sasuke was smirking with a pair of chopsticks in hand, and Ichi (the owner of the shop) was secretly grinning at his two regular customers.

That's when Sasuke looked back. When his eyes met mine, I froze on the spot. Sasuke's dark eyes searched mine curiously as he smirked at something. “Sakura,” he spoke.

Then Naruto was turning around, too. “Sakura! Sit!” He grinned openly at me as I took my spot between them. “What happened to you yesterday?” Naruto whined. “We didn't see you at all! Were you sick? Sasuke said your THING came.” Naruto wasn't mature enough to say period yet. I stuck out my tongue at him.

“Shut up Naruto. It's not something you announce.” I scolded him some more while Ichi brought me my regular.

Naruto was pouting now. He slurped at his noodles silently, muttering something.

I almost forgot about my dilemma but then Sasuke spoke up. “Nice earrings.”

I blushed, and dipped my head into the empty bowl to hide it. “Thanks,” I muttered from inside.

“Sakura?” Naruto sounded concerned.

“I told you,” Sasuke spoke.

“You were right! I wonder what happened to poor Sakura?”

Great. They were discussing me like I was some nutcase.

“Is it mood swings?” Naruto questioned. Sasuke must've nodded or shrugged or something because Naruto kept talking. “She usually doesn't get them. Maybe she's sick.”

I felt something poking me from Naruto's side. “Sakuraaa, are you feeling okay?”

I swore into the bowl and they both shut up.

A couple of minutes later I learned they must've been communicating via eye-contact because they both spoke up.

“Let's go to the herb shop,” Naruto pestered me. “It can help.”

“I agree,” said Sasuke.

I sighed and pulled my head out of the bowl, which Ichi took away from me immediately. “Fine.”

The three of us got out of our seats and left the store after Naruto paid, and once on the street the fresh air made my head work properly. “I'm sorry you guys,” I exclaimed. “I think I am having mood swings.” I sighed. “I'm so sorry for ditching you guys yesterday.”

Naruto grinned at me. “It's okay! Hehehe…” He began cackling and I felt like things were back to normal.

That is, they would be if I wasn't so aware of Sasuke walking beside me. To make it worse, Naruto realized that he hadn't fed his pet lizard that day. He ended up rushing off, leaving me and Sasuke on our own. Before two days ago, this would've been totally okay with me. Not today.

“I guess it's just the two of us,” I said. I forced myself to look up at him.

Sasuke looked bored, though he usually did. “Hn.”

We began to walk down the street in silence. I fidgeted, swinging my purse from shoulder to shoulder nervously. Sasuke seemed unaware of the awkward silence that I was feeling. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, his gaze cool.

“Um…” I had to fix this. One more silent-street-walk and I would lose it. “You wanna go to my house?” I blurted out. Sasuke turned his eyes on me.

“Sure.”

Sure. Of course it was `sure'. Why wouldn't it be Sure? It was Sure every other time of our lives. Every other time when Sasuke hadn't thought of me as anything more than a friend.

I kept bringing myself down the whole way to my house, and when we reached my front door I was too depressed to realize that my mother wasn't home that day. “Keys,” I muttered, searching through my purse. I was lucky that Sasuke was a pretty patient guy, because I was taking a millennium. When I had finally gotten my keys out, I tried to stick each key into the right lock. Suddenly, there was a breath on my shoulder.

A jolt of nerves crept up my back, making my shoulders stiffen. My hands froze on the door handle and my eyes widened in shock. A stray lock of hair fell in my face. Sasuke Uchiha was breathing on me!

“You smell good,” Sasuke muttered; his face still close to mine.

My mouth opened and closed a couple of times like a dying fish. “I-it's uh…citrus…yeah, citrus.” I shut my eyes and tried to control my nerves. What on Earth was he doing?!

Then I felt his hand on my hand, and I felt my whole face grow hot. Sasuke turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, and then he stepped away from me. I stood in the doorway in complete shock.

“Sorry,” Sasuke apologized behind me. “It looked like you were having trouble with the door.

“Um, yeah,” I spoke as we entered my house. “Trouble with the door.”

Inside, I threw my purse onto the table; feeling more at ease in my own house. Sasuke took a seat at the circular kitchen table, watching as I scurried around. “Tea, right?” I didn't even have to ask, and as I set it in front of him the phone rang. “Who could that be?” I wondered aloud. Sasuke's eyes followed me as I ran to the phone on the wall.

“Hello?” I answered.

“S-Sakura? H-hello. I'm sorry for calling….It's uh, H-Hinata.”

“Hinata!” I grinned at Sasuke. He just smirked in reply. “How are you?” I asked.

I think she smiled. “I'm fine…I um, just called to…”

It took a long moment for her to start talking again, and when she did it all came out in a hurried blur. “I was wondering if I should ask Naruto to the Fall dance?” Next came some deep breathing from the other line as she tried to compose herself.

“Wow!” I exclaimed. “I'm shocked, Hinata! I didn't think you were the type to make the first move! Good for you!”

“Y-yes, well it's because N-Naruto is um…”

“Dumb?” I completed for her.

“Shy?”

I laughed. “You're awesome, Hinata! Good for you! Go for him! He's going to say yes for sure!”

My pep-talk must've worked because when she hung up five minutes later she wasn't stuttering anymore, she sounded kind of happy too.

“Awesome!” I breathed as I collapsed onto a chair at the table. Sasuke was still drinking his tea.

“What happened?”

“Hinata's going to ask Naruto to the Fall dance!” I couldn't help but smile to myself. “It's just so amazing! She really does have guts. And maybe now Naruto will realize that Hinata actually likes him,” I added.

Sasuke chuckled. “Maybe.”

We sat in silence and I watched him drink tea. After a while, I had gathered up my courage. “So…who are you gonna ask to the dance?”

His beautiful, dark eyes looked at me. He looked kind of surprised, too. “Hn.” He thought about it for a moment, and then smirked at me playfully. “I dunno.”

I blushed like crazy. “I-I just thought if you didn't have anyone, you, me and Naruto could all go together!” Sasuke just nodded, not really committing to it. I sat there shaking, that had been way to close! I already had the nasty rumor to watch out for, I couldn't risk giving anything away myself! Sasuke just sipped his tea like nothing had happened.

*Badapapapapa! Badapapapapa!*

We both jumped at the sound of my cell phone from upstairs. I sprang out of my seat and rushed to my room.

“Hello?!” I answered.

“Honey, I'm just calling to remind you to lock the back door, okay?”

I sighed dramatically. “Okay, mom. I will. Bye.” I hung up and took a deep breath. Why was everything making me so nerve-wracked today? Poor Sasuke, I'd left him downstairs. I turned around, about to walk back downstairs when I walked into a wall at the edge of the stairs.

Okay, so when me and the wall began to fall down the stairs I realized it had just been Sasuke and his abs, but by then it was too late to stop us. “EEEK!” I screamed, trying to cover my head. We both tumbled down, in a knot. Sasuke swore and wrapped his arms around my head and back, trying to keep me from hitting each step. By the time we reached the first floor I knew that my legs were going to be blue and green come morning.

“Ouchh!” I groaned, lying against Sasuke on the floor. Sasuke groaned a bit beneath me, but kept his arms locked around me.

“…You okay?” he asked.

I blushed like crazy, trying not to breathe in his scent- it was driving me insane.

“Sakura…” Sasuke whispered straight into my ear. I gasped into his shirt, not really sure if he had heard it or not.

“W-what?”

“…Something's wrong.” We lay in silence for a while, both breathing deeply.

“What's wrong?” I managed to whisper, afraid.

“Something happened.” He was quiet for a moment, but then went on just as I was about to say something. “Since that last soccer game we had. When we fell.”

It was funny how every time we fell I seemed to like him more and more. At the moment, it was literally making me hysterical. I felt tears swell up in my eyes. It wasn't fair. These feelings of mine, which were so strong, meant nothing to him. Nothing.

“You seem sad,” Sasuke finished. His tone was sad as well. I suddenly felt bad for worrying him.

“It's nothing!” I lied. “I'm really fine!” I knew he didn't buy it, but he let go of me. Slowly, I rolled off of him and we both stood up. “I'm sorry,” I whispered again. It sounded like a plea. Like a plea for him to just forget about it, because there was no way I could tell him. After what I'd heard in the change room, I couldn't tell him anything. It just wasn't fair that all these things were starting to happen between us when I'd realized how much I liked him, and there was nothing I could do about it.

We both stared at each other, and then Sasuke spread his arms. Sasuke, the cold Sasuke that all the girls at school were infatuated with, spread his arms in the gesture of a hug. It was something he rarely did, but he did it for me every once in a while since I'd met him at childhood.

I spreads my arms too, stood on my tiptoes and embraced him. This time, I squeezed him like it was the last hug we'd ever share. This time I felt so much more. I took in his scent, hugged him tight, and let the tears flow. We stood like that for a long time as I let the tears flow free, both not sure what to say to the other.

I wonder what would've happened if I'd said it then and there? What if I'd spoken the words? So simple, yet they would've changed everything. Alas, I could only think them. And while we hugged they raced through my mind over and over again; on repeat. I love you. I love you.

IloveyouIloveyou I Love You.









Please review! I would really appreciate it! Reviews inspire me to keep going! -Sweettreat.