Behind the Scenes

Chapter 9

---

After the awkward goodbye with Sasuke, Hinata walked back to her dorm feeling more sober than ever. She tried to fix her tangled hair as she walked into the building and took the elevator up to her floor. She stopped in front of her door and let out a deep sigh before inserting her key and unlocking the door.

Hinata stepped inside her apartment and immediately saw Naruto sitting on the couch, playing video games. She felt a mix of anger and sadness. "Naruto," she said, trying to keep her voice even. Naruto looked up and saw Hinata. He looked guilty for a moment before turning back to his game. "Hey," he said casually. Hinata couldn't believe it. He had ghosted her for two months and now he was acting like nothing happened. "What the hell, Naruto?" she said, her voice rising. Naruto looked up again, surprised by her tone. "What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "You just disappeared on me for two months, without any explanation or anything!" Hinata said, tears welling up in her eyes. Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. I just needed some space," he said, not meeting her eyes. Hinata felt a wave of anger wash over her. "Needed space? You could have at least told me how long instead of ghosting me!" she yelled. Naruto flinched at her tone. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, looking at her with pleading eyes. Hinata shook her head. "I don't want to hear it, Naruto. I can't do this anymore. I need some space too," she said, turning around and walking towards her bathroom. Naruto sat there, stunned, as Hinata closed the door behind her.

Naruto heard Hinata turn on the shower and got up from the couch and knocked on the door. "Hinata we need to talk."

Hinata ignored him, not wanting to face him. She stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She couldn't believe Naruto had ghosted her like that. She felt hurt and betrayed.

Naruto knocked on the door again, louder this time. "Hinata, please talk to me. We need to work this out," he said, his voice sounding desperate.

Hinata sighed, knowing she couldn't avoid him forever. She turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a towel before opening the bathroom door. Naruto was standing there, looking at her with pleading eyes. "What do you want, Naruto?" she asked, her voice cold.

"I want to make things right between us. I know I messed up, but please, give me a chance to fix it," he said, taking a step towards her.

Hinata backed away, not wanting him to get too close. "How can you fix this? So much has happened during those two months that I can't forget."

Naruto looked down, knowing that he had a lot to make up for. "I don't know how to fix everything, but I want to try. I miss you, Hinata," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Hinata felt her resolve waver as she looked at him. She missed him too, but she couldn't just forget everything that had happened. "I miss you too, Naruto," she said softly. "But we need to talk about what happened, and you need to explain why you ghosted me like that."

Naruto took a deep breath and began to speak. "Hinata, I know I messed up big time. The truth is, I cheated on you with a girl named Shion. It was a mistake, and I regret it so much. I was feeling lost and confused, and I thought that being with someone else would make me feel better. But it didn't, Hinata. It only made me feel worse."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock and hurt. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You cheated on me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Naruto nodded, his eyes filled with remorse. "I'm so sorry, Hinata. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please, give me a chance to make it up to you."

Hinata shook her head, feeling a mixture of anger and betrayal. "How could you do this to me, Naruto? We've been together for so long, and you throw it all away for a fling with someone else?" she said, her voice rising in anger.

Naruto hung his head in shame. "I know I was wrong, Hinata. And I know that what I did hurt you so much. But I'm willing to do anything to make it right. Please, give me a chance to make things right between us."

Hinata looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "I can't just forgive you like that. But I can't say anything wrong about it because there's something I need to tell you too." she said, her voice trembling.

Naruto looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise. "What is it, Hinata?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Hinata steadied herself before speaking, her voice barely audible. "I also slept with someone else, Naruto. It was a stranger," she said. "You disappeared, didn't respond to my calls or messages. I thought it was your way of breaking up with me. I was hurt and confused, and I just wanted to feel something other than the pain."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and hurt. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?" he said, his voice filled with pain.

"You have no say about it because you were probably sleeping with this Shion person before I ever thought of sleeping with someone else. I just couldn't handle the pain anymore. You just left me hanging," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Naruto took a step towards her and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, Hinata. We both messed up, but we can work through this together," he said, his voice filled with love and forgiveness. "We'll take it one day at a time and make things right between us."

Hinata nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea to get back with Naruto after what he did but at the moment all they could think about was how much she missed being in his arms.