Save Me From Myself [SasuNaru]

Introductions

I apologized and moved the rest of the books to the display. "I'm really sorry, but I have to run. I would love to talk to you another time if you don't mind?" He asked. "Yeah sure. If you wanna meet at a more secluded location, I work at a bar that's not terribly far from here. Feel free to stop in!" We exchanged numbers and he headed out of the store.

Checking the time, I realized I had to leave. I said my goodbyes to Ino and went to the staff room. I caught myself smiling as I thought about the fact that I met a famous author. Even if it was brief, but he even said he wanted to talk again. It's been a long time since I talked to someone about... well.. anything. 'Having someone to talk to about books might be a good distraction' I thought.

When I arrived at the bar for my shift, it was like a usual Tuesday night. We had our 5-6 regulars and maybe 1-2 randoms who came in and out. It was pretty slow. Most regulars chose to sit at the booths rather than the bar itself. The night led on with just refills and laughter here and there from the regulars at the booths.

While cleaning the glasses and restocking the bar, I heard the door open. It has a little bell on it so if I'm not at the bar itself, I can still hear it. "Hello, Welcome." I shouted from behind the bar, as my back was turned from the door to put some glasses away.

When I turned back around, there was a man that I had not seen before. He had on dark jeans, a nice white short sleeve button down, black hair that was about mid length to his shoulders, and a pale fa.. then I realized who it was.

"I almost didn't recognize you without your glasses, mask, and 'I'm gonna rob this place' clothes" I laughed as I handed him a menu.

"Wow. No wonder you don't get anyone sitting at the bar when you're here" he snapped back. I could see him trying not to laugh as I stumbled for a rebuttal.

I rolled my eyes "Alright. So what will it be Mr. Famous Author" I said in a sarcastic tone.

"Uh. I'll actually just take a water" he gave me a sheepish smile, almost like he was embarrassed. He leaned over and whispered "I'm really not good with alcohol and I don't want to make a bad impression".

I laughed and gave him a glass of water with ice. "If you're bad with alcohol... why did you come here then?" I gave him a questioning look, as I thought it was kind of strange.

"I came to see my number one fan!" He chuckled as he pulled out his laptop and placed it on the bar. "So you're still running from your editor I take it?" I laughed as he blushed at the question.

"He's kind of scary when I don't hit my deadlines and I have a hard time focusing if I think he's going to just show up at my house randomly. I made the mistake of giving him an extra key.."

"Well, stay here as long as you like. Though you might find the booth more comfortable if you plan to stay a while" I motioned him toward an empty booth that happened to have an outlet as well.

"I'm alright for right now. I appreciate it. I could use something to eat though. Whatever the bartenders choice is" he smiled.

"That's a terrible idea. You'll be eating nothing but Ramen" I heard one of the regulars say.

"On second thought, I'll just take the appetizer sampler instead" he laughed. I placed the order and attempted small talk while waiting on the order. "So I know your pen name, but is that your actual name as well?" I asked.

"No. Sai is my actual name. I'm guessing 'bookstore blondie' isn't your actual name?" He laughed as he realized we didn't know eachothers names. I chuckled and said "No. It's actually Naruto. But I guess 'bookstore blondie' would do in a pinch".

Sai's order came up shortly after and we talked about his books and work while he ate. He was an author that mostly wrote romance novels, although he never had experienced romance himself. He was a very shy guy. He told me that he didn't get out much as he was always buried in a book or working to create a new one. Sai also mentioned his editor a lot. He said he is a sophisticated man with a hard exterior, but he really helped Sai with his work. "You wouldn't pin him for that type of guy, but he's very romantic" Sai stated as he took his last bite.

"I should really get this last chapter done. I know you guys are about to close. Would you mind if I stayed just at that table while you cleaned up? I'll put my headphones in and it will be like I'm not here. Kick me out as soon as you're done." He got up and went to the table before I could even reply.

I watched as Sai plugged his laptop in, grabbed his headphones, turned on music from his phone, and set to work. Watching him was actually mesmerizing. It was almost like he was a totally different person when he was writing. He was so serious and so concentrated.

I set to work on my own clean up as we were now closed. It took about an hour, as I didn't move in a quick pace like usual. I wanted to give Sai time to do what he needed. We seemed to have finished at the same time. "Thank you so much. I actually got a lot done. This place is very quiet and relaxing" he said as he got all of his stuff packed up.

"No problem. Feel free to come by anytime. You have my number so you can give 'bookstore blondie' a call" I laughed as I shut the doors. We said our farewells and headed in different directions.

When I got home, it was as quiet as usual. It brought me back to a sense of reality of how my life really was. Lonely. I changed into my pjs and sat on the couch. I started thinking about how maybe I should change things around. After all, it had been a year and no one tried to reach out or find me.

I laid on the couch and started to doze off. I guess talking to someone really took it out of me. 'Huh. I haven't heard anything from HIM today either...' was my last thought as I fell into a deep sleep.