Save Me From Myself [SasuNaru]

Pain

-Naruto POV-

The next week seemed to have flown by. Sai was at the bar every night that I worked. Some days we would chat about his work and other days he would listen to his music and just type away.

It was refreshing to have someone to talk to. He never asked about my personal life and I didn't ask about his. I knew it was a shy person and anytime someone else would join the conversation, he would just get very awkward.

"My editor's coming tomorrow to pick this up" Sai had mentioned as he leaned his head back on the booth. "You gonna have it done?" I asked him while wiping off the table behind him.

"For once.. I think I actually will" Sai laughed as he closed his laptop. "Hey... can I ask you something?"

I never heard Sai speak in such a serious tone, so I opted to sit across from him. There was no one here but us anyways as the bar was closed and I was just cleaning. I nodded and awaited his question.

"I.." he blushed and was trying to figure out how to word it. "Just word it the best you can and I'll figure it out" I smiled at him.

"I just noticed that when you smile and laugh... it's not real...I was just wondering why you felt the need to fake it all the time.." he said this almost in a whisper. If there had been anyone else in the bar, I wouldn't have been able to hear him.

I took a long pause before I answered. I wasn't used to someone asking such straight forward questions. He wasn't wrong about the way it is.. I just never had it pointed out I guess.

"Well.. you know how you told me that you don't have any romantic experiences?" I asked. He blushed slightly and nodded. "Well, the only experience that I have ever had.. didn't go so well. I had known this person since we were little. We grew up in the same town.. though we never really spoke. It wasn't until probably about middle school that we really got to know one another. From then on, we were inseparable." I could feel my hands start to shake and my mouth get dry as I continued. I stared at the table as I didn't want Sai to see the water developing in my eyes.

"Well.. after highschool.. I decided I was going to confess to them.... I had liked them for a really long time and I only felt the most happiness when they were by my side.." I heard my voice crack and I paused for a minute.

"Naruto..." I could hear the concern and sympathy in Sai's voice. He placed his hand on top of mine. "You don't have to say anything else if you don't want.."

"They didn't feel the same and laughed at me when I confessed" I interrupted him.

There was a long pause of silence between us. All that could be heard was the sniffling as I tried to get myself together. I chuckled "pretty pathetic since it's been over a year and I still can't.." I felt the tears slide down my face.

Sai reached over and wiped my face with his hands. "So you shut yourself off from the world. So you couldn't be hurt or rejected again." It was a statement, not really a question.

I wiped the rest of my face with my sleeve as I sniffled and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just never really talked to anyone about it since it happened... I guess it's been kind of bottled up"

Sai placed his hands on his chin and stared at me. "Well. It's good to let it out. If you ever need to talk, I'm always here. I may not know anything about romance, but that just means I won't tell you stupid things like 'there is plenty of fish in the sea' or whatever they say".

I couldn't help but laugh at the sarcastic tone that he used. "You have an off day tomorrow right?" He asked, still staring.

"Uh, yeah.. I don't work either place" I tilted my head as I wondering why he was so intently staring. He reached over and squeezed my cheeks. "Well then come over and stay at my place. We can watch some movies and eat ice cream and junk food." He smiled as he continued to pinch my cheeks. "I'm not taking no for an answer" he chimed.