Still Falling for You [NH year 2020]

April - Too late/Missed opportunities

Anime/Manga : Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto/Studio Pierrot
Words: 3 391
Published: 04/08/2020
Summary: If they had said to each other what they felt for each other three years ago, everything would've been completely different today. 
Author's Note: Thanks to Hippyredfox who really helped me on this short story.

Next to the welcome card - signed by all of their friends - was a CD he had composed for Hinata, not yet wrapped in the lavender gift wrap. Tonight, he made up his mind, he will confess his feelings for her. However, even with all his good will, his trembling hands seemed to not want to let go of the letter he had wrote.

His hand nervously rubbed the nape of his neck. Hesitant, he pinched his lips together, played with the piece of paper holding his confession. He wasn't sure anymore. Thoughts. Questions. Uncertainties. A lot was going on inside his head.

Maybe she'll find his gift too old-fashioned? After all, who listened to CD in these days? And if his courage was back when he will be ready to talk to her, nothing will assure him that she was feeling the same for him.

His breathing broke.

Was he doing a mistake? Wouldn't he risk breaking their friendship?

His guts knotted, squeezed by his anxiety and his turmoils. It scared him and his fingers wrapped themselves around the scars at his wrist. And what if it wasn't the good time to confess everything? He throat tightened. What if it was a mistake? What if she rejected him, refused to understand, to hear him out, or worse, what if she refused to answer him? Was he ready to hear a 'no', a 'sorry' from her with pain in her intense lavender eyes in which he was used to lost himself. What if...

What if... What if... What if...

"Naruto-kun? Are you ready?" Lee knocked on the door.

Despite his friend's presence and hand on his trembleling shoulder, he wasn't feeling better at all. Closing his eyes, he squeezed his letter against his chest where a painful, imberable, knot was growing before touching his forehead with his free hand. He wasn't feeling good. Tingles. Nausea. Waves of heat. Lack of oxygen and again, that contraction in his stomach.

"I-I don't know if I'll go after all..." he said under his breath with a voice nearly broken.

"Oh no! You promised me that if you'd written the letter, you'd give it to her tonight." His dark brown-haired friend continued a bit louder to cover Naruto's protest. "So, since you won't say anything to her face to face, you have to be at her welcome back party at least as a friend, otherwise, she'll be sad."

"B-But the gift and the letter, it's so..."

"You didn't make her one song, you made her twelve songs! So stop saying it's lame! You know what? I think it's perfect and I know Hinata-san is going to love it! Have a little bit of faith in yourself Naruto-kun!" Lee encouraged with a smile.