Call Me Mr. Knight

Chapter 15

The moment we entered the restaurant was the moment everything seemed to have stopped moving for me. My breath hitched as I stared at the two people who were equally staring at us. I was frozen in my spot while they looked like they just saw a ghost.

The fact that Yahiko betrayed me and made me look like an idiot still causes me pain even now. But the ache that I felt in my heart had somehow dulled a lot. It's a little more than surprising since I knew for a fact that I loved Yahiko more than anyone... at least aside from my family. I really loved him a lot... but now, the pain that he caused had started to diminish. I didn't know what changed in me or what caused me to slowly move on but I was thankful that I was not the old me who could only close or avert my eyes every time I would see them together.

"Naruto, shall we find some other place?" I heard Sasuke's cool voice beside me. And somehow, that coolness of his reminded me that I was not alone this time. I was not the person who didn't know anything anymore. I felt my heart warm up at the thought that someone was by my side, that I was not alone and vulnerable. My world was starting to rebuild itself right now. And I was sure that this was one of those times when I could truly say I was glad that Sasuke was with me.

I looked at Sasuke then, at his silently irate onyx eyes and his arched eyebrow, before I shook my head and smiled. "It's fine, Sasuke." I wanted to thank him somehow but I still didn't know what for.

Sasuke shrugged as we chose a table for the two of us. I arched an eyebrow at him when he chose a table near them but he didn't address my silent question. Yahiko and Konan were sitting directly at the table on our right side. It's as if he's challenging them with the way he's acting. But that's Sasuke for you, always the cool and proud Black Knight.

I sighed and smiled to myself as I followed him to our seat, somehow envying his calmness... and maybe, also wishing that I could act like him when it came to Yahiko... act like nothing happened, act like he didn't just break my heart and left me without knowing anything.

Yahiko bowed a little to me when our eyes met, silently recognizing my presence in the restaurant, and I bowed a little in return. It was the first time we met outside the school. Even inside the campus, we seldom ran into one another because I made sure that I wouldn't run into him by asking aniki about his class schedule and hang-out places.

The greeting between us was stiff and formal, as if we're barely an acquaintance. It's hard to imagine now that I used to dream of being with him for the rest of my life. The man who was once the center of my life – someone whom I shared dreams, hugs, and kisses with – had become someone I barely knew.

Well, that's just life.

Konan remained silent but she gave me a small smile when our eyes met. Even now, I was still envious of her. She's way too beautiful for someone like Yahiko. Seeing her sometimes made me wish I was born a woman. But that would be too disturbing so I'd rather not think about that at all. She's kind and perfect... unlike the man she loved. Unlike the man whom I also thought of in the past as perfect...

They also stiffly bowed towards Sasuke. Even though we were all outside the school at the moment, they still wouldn't forget the fact that the bastard was a Knight, just like aniki whom they served. The two of them, however, seemed shocked at the fact that Sasuke was with me. Or rather, that the two of us were currently going to eat lunch together in a restaurant. I knew that they were more than curious since they were both discretely looking in between me and Sasuke. This was technically the first time I was seeing Yahiko after his fight with aniki even though I've seen him from afar many times inside the school together with Konan. He looked fine to me now, but–

Sasuke's quiet clearing of throat caught my attention and I found that he's glaring at me from across the table. I immediately scowled at him. "What?"

"Nothing." And the fucking bastard used that same smile he used against aniki earlier. It's so fucking creepy, especially since it's just so sweet and yet the dark aura which surrounded him contradicted the pristine atmosphere. "I just want to remind you that you're on a date with me, dobe. So don't choose this moment to flirt with somebody else." The words were spoken with sweetness too but behind it was the venom. My eyes widened as I immediately felt my cheeks redden at his words.