When logic fails ...

System Error in Her Head

It felt like an eternity before something finally happened at the door.
The light from the hallway broke through as a narrow line beneath it, and Temari felt every muscle in her body tense.

Then came the sound of footsteps.
Calm, even, and unmistakably familiar — it was his gait.

He paused just outside the door. For a moment, it seemed as if he hesitated before knocking, and almost at the same time, the handle turned.

The door opened, and the instant their eyes met, a sudden heat rushed through her.
Shikamaru stood framed by the light from the hallway, and for a moment, the only thing she could hear was the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. They held each other's gaze, and everything else around them seemed to fade.

He suddenly raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling as if to escape the awkwardness of the moment.

"I heard your BIOS is acting up again?" he said at last, with that tired, slightly irritated tone that gave nothing away.

He stepped inside, setting his bag down on the chair in front of her desk as if it were routine. Then he moved around the table until he was standing right behind her.

Temari felt her body react to his closeness; her pulse quickened sharply.

He leaned down slightly to see the screen. "Let me take a look," he murmured, already wrapping his fingers around the mouse.

Temari forced herself to stay composed, though her heart was pounding far too fast and butterflies seemed to stir in her stomach. He was so close that only a few centimeters separated them, and her eyes darted toward him involuntarily.

"It's... probably just a minor thing," she began, glancing at his profile. "But you're probably much faster. Besides, I really shouldn't be calling right before closing time."

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "So you've learned something over the past few months. Good," he said.

Temari sensed an opportunity. "Not just here," she replied. "I've also picked up a few new shogi strategies."

He looked down at her, and for a fraction of a second, their eyes met again.
Too long to be a coincidence, too intense to ignore.

Temari felt the heat rise to her cheeks and abruptly stood up. She turned away, grabbed one of the folders on the desk just to have something in her hands, and began to tidy up. Shikamaru watched her with mild confusion before sitting down in her chair.

The silence between them was unbearable. There was so much left unsaid, and the quiet only made it worse. She knew she had to say something to ease the tension.

"I'd be willing to show you my new tactic... but how long is your girlfriend staying?"

The light from the monitor cast a cool blue glow across his face.

His fingers moved steadily across the keyboard until, halfway through a motion, they suddenly stopped. His brows furrowed slightly, and Temari could not tell whether it was because of the computer or because of her question.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and resumed typing. "I think she's staying until the weekend," he said finally. "She can't stay away from the shop forever."

No denial. No correction.
Nothing to contradict her assumption, but nothing to confirm it either.

He simply avoided the subject, as if it were of no importance. That ability to sidestep anything he did not want to talk about truly seemed to come naturally to him.

Temari felt a weight build in her chest. She sat down opposite him, crossed her arms, and tried to find another approach.

She had to know whether there was something between them — whether that blonde woman was his girlfriend or merely a friend. That small difference meant everything.

"She seems very nice," she said at last, her voice steadier than she felt. "How long have you known each other?"

He looked up briefly, surprise flickering in his eyes before they met hers.

"For quite a while," he replied shortly, and then his gaze dropped back to the screen.

Inside, Temari was fuming. He still managed to evade everything — her glances, the shogi topic that had once connected them, even the mention of Ino. He dodged the tension between them as if it were nothing.

But Temari had no intention of giving up. As long as he had not fixed the BIOS issue, she still had time.
She only needed to disguise her questioning well enough so he would not escape.

"Do you play shogi or go with her too?" she asked carefully.

He suddenly laughed, leaned back, and laced his hands behind his head, then gave her an amused look.

"Ino and strategy games? Not a chance. She's more of a flower person... and that's something I don't really get."

Good. At least now he was talking.

Temari seized the moment. "What do you mean, flower person?"

"She took over her parents' flower shop at the start of the semester," he explained, turning his attention back to the screen. His fingers moved easily over the keyboard, as if the topic meant nothing.

Temari felt the thread slipping from her grasp again. She had hoped to read something between the lines — a hint in his tone, a shift in his posture — but he remained as unreadable as ever.

Just as she was preparing her next harmless question, he stood up.

"All right, that should do it."

He pushed the chair back, glanced at her, and gave a fleeting smile. "See? Much faster when you call me first," he said with a wink that completely threw her off balance.

She had aced her nonverbal communication course back in university, preparing for her career in law. Yet his signals went in so many directions she could not make sense of him.

One moment he was distant, the next he showed signs of interest again.

Shikamaru leaned forward to grab his bag. Temari reached out at the same time, and their fingers brushed. It was only for an instant, but long enough for neither of them to move.
The dark brown of his eyes met the bright green of hers.

Then he blinked, slowly withdrew his hand, and cleared his throat.

"...Sorry... I should probably go..."

The silence that followed was heavy, almost tangible. Temari thought she saw a faint flush on his cheeks.

He picked up his bag and walked past her, but stopped at the door and turned slightly. "By the way, your boyfriend seems really nice. You two look good together."

He said it with a tone she could not ignore.

Without giving her the chance to ask anything, Shikamaru slung the bag over his shoulder and left the office.

Temari stood frozen.

She stared after him, the soft click of the closing door echoing in her ears. Boyfriend? What boyfriend was he even talking about?

For a moment, she wanted to run after him and demand an explanation, but her legs refused to move.

Her gaze slowly dropped to the spot where he had just stood. Her heart was still beating too fast, and her thoughts tangled in confusion.

What boyfriend? Was he really that blind to her hints? Or was he pretending?

Maybe he really was with that blonde, too wrapped up in her to notice how much he unsettled Temari.
But then why had he looked at her like that? Why had he left so quickly?

Temari rubbed her temples.
She knew she would not find any answers tonight.

Only one thing was certain: that man was going to give her quite a few headaches.