The party had just ended not too long ago and all of them managed to escape before Kimiko could open her mouth to order them around and clean up. Each of the pair went their separate ways. Sasuke had led Sakura into the woods to a white gazebo.
Sakura took her seat on the wooden swing that was attached to the ceiling of the gazebo by two ropes, while Sasuke leaned against the wooden railing. The two spent the next couple of minutes enjoying the silence that never occurred during the party; nothing but the waves rolling in and retreating again. The summer breeze held a salty taste to it as it came by lifting any thoughts on their minds and blowing it elsewhere.
After a moment, Sasuke decided to break the silence with a question that's been buzzing his mind. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Sakura snapped out of her peaceful daze at the sound of Sasuke's voice.
"Are you okay?"
"Well of course," Sakura smiled, "why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't mean that. Are you okay after that night?" Sasuke explained as he patiently waited for her answer.
"Oh...well I guess...kind of." The cheery atmosphere was long gone now. Sakura had her head down slightly as she fumbled with the ends of her scarf. "But to tell the truth...not really."
"Then why don't you show it?"
Sakura looked up at him with glassy emerald orbs as she gave him a sad smile. "Why would I do that? Why make everyone around me unhappy just because I am? That's crazy. Pity, I don't want anyone's pity. I'm not weak, I can hold myself up and I don't want to be a burden to anyone. And I know for sure that if anyone heard about this...their going to treat me like a baby. I'm the girl that needs to be protected, the one that needs to be looked after constantly. I don't want that. That's why I smile all the time."
"But they're all forced,"
"So, you've noticed." Sakura sighed deeply at the young Uchiha's discovery. "I haven't really found anything to really smile about since I became an orphan aside from the couple of times spending time with you guys. There's a saying that the people that are the happiest looking are the ones suffering most. And I have to agree to that."
"So how do I know you're truthfully happy and it's not just a mask?"
Sakura laughed lightly, "What are we playing? 21 questions?"
"Hn, answer my question."
"My eyes, they're the biggest give away to what I'm truly feeling. As much as I tried over the years to train myself from retaining the emotions in my eyes, it never worked."
"How?"
"Ever heard of the saying 'a girl's eyes are an open window to her soul.' We smile, express sadness, fear, and anger through our eyes. That's how you'll know."
"But-," Sasuke opened his mouth to answer another question when Sakura beat it to him. "Nuh uh my turn, since you asked four questions so do I."
"Hmmm...what's your ideal girl?" Sakura smirked, propping her chin on her palms.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the rosette; it was certainly a question he didn't thought about. "Hn I don't have one."
"Oh come one," Sakura playfully punched his arm. "Every guy has an ideal girl or...*ahem* guy if that's the case."
Now it was Sasuke's turn to shove her, "What?"
"Hn,"
"Just answer the question Sasuke....that's if you're not gay."
Sasuke sent draggers towards her way before giving her his answer. "She has to be pretty and smart or else there's not even a chance. One who has manners; lightly spoken but has a firm undertone. Someone who's not afraid to stand out or be different; most definitely not a girly girl. A girl that's willing to change someone's mind particularly my father because he won't approve of us when he already has his mind set on my future wife. If she doesn't fit in those categories then I want a girl that's special, unique to set her apart from the rest."
"Seems like you going to need to do some looking for that special girl," Sakura commented totally oblivious to what he was saying. "Who are you closer to—your mom or dad?"
"Mom,"
"Aww you're a mama's boy, how cute." Sakura gushed as Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up slightly.
"Hn, what's your ideal guy?" Sasuke asked bluntly even though her answer meant a lot.
"My ideal guy? Well that's easy, like every girl they want to find their prince charming or their knight in shining armor. But then I'm not your typical girl. I just want a guy that's has a backbone and makes me feel like I'm the only girl in the world when he looks at me or talks to me. He'll proudly hold my hand and he's not afraid of what his guy friends think of it or anyone. Someone who will understand me and know that when I say I'm okay...I'm not. When I'm sick, he would be there and hold my hand 'til I fall sleep. When I run up to him or he sees me crying, the first thing he would say is "Who's ass am I kicking?" Even if it's his own. As weird as this sounds but someone who would be over in minutes with chocolate ice cream, movies, a blanket, and Chinese when it's that time of month. Remember the little things that I do, even if they're stupid. Write me post-it note love letters in sharpie, not caring if it's lame. A guy that wouldn't mind letting me wear his hoodie. But of course that's just a fantasy, like there's a guy out there like that." Sakura laughed awkwardly.
"Hn,"
"What would be the first place you would take a girl you have an interest in?"
Sasuke smirked, "My aunt Makemi's frozen yogurt shop."
"Nuh uh....you're kidding." Sakura was gaping, not caring even if she was drooling. If her memory served her right, he took her to his aunt's shop not too long ago. He must be just playing with her right?
"Hn," Sasuke's smirk widen as realization struck her. He quickly asked her a question before she could anything else. "What kind of girl would you describe yourself?"
"Me? Well I'm different for sure; I'm a girl that prefers one rose instead of a dozen. I hate wild parties and I would rather stay in and curl up with a book. I'm totally your girl that would choose books over boys or in my case, ice cream." Sakura answered.
"You and ice cream," Sasuke rolled his eyes at Sakura's sheepish smile. "You should just marry a tub of ice instead."
"Hey! What are you trying to say Chicken-ass?" Sakura growled. "Are you saying that you can't get a guy?"
"Hn, I never said that." Sasuke replied but then quietly added. "But...I might have intended to."
"Why you jerk face,"
"Hn, what song would you want to dance to under the stars?"
"What?" The question had totally caught her off guard; Sakura glanced at him with a confused expression.
"What song would you want to dance to under the stars?"
"Oh," Sakura mouthed. Song? Sakura was stumped, well this wasn't a question she'd thought about and surely didn't have an answer to at the moment. A song...to dance to...under the stars? It couldn't be a fast or upbeat song but something slow and soft. After thinking about it long and hard, she came up with an answer. "I won't give up by Jason Mraz."
"Hn," Sasuke pulled out his phone and began playing around with it for a moment before walking over to the IPhone dock that sat in the middle of the room. He hooked it up and the soothing sound of a guitar began filled her ears of a familiar tune she knew so well.
Her body began swaying back and forth as she closed her eyes. "Can you dance?"
"Hn, we'll see." Sasuke walked up to the rosette and extended his hand towards her. "Can I have this dance?"
Sakura was shocked for the umpteenth time for the night; upon opening her eyes she saw Sasuke's hand in front of her, a simple request for a dance. Hesitantly, Sakura placed her petite hand on top of his. As she got up from out of her seat on the swing she noticed how perfectly they're hands seemed to fit together.
Sasuke pressed the light switch and watched as her eyes widen in awe as tiny star lanterns lit up all around them, just like the night sky. He slid his right hand around her waist and rested it on the center of her lower back while Sakura placed her free hand upon his shoulder. He closed the gap between them with a small step before he began leading her; their steps were smooth and slow just in time with the beat. They slid and twirled slowly around the table in the center of the room. Sasuke released her hand and let her spin out; taking a breath, Sakura returned back into his arms and the two swayed to the sound of the melody.
Sakura looked into his onyx eyes that were staring into her own, their gazes were locked, emerald and onyx. But she noticed something; they weren't the usual hard and emotionless ones. No, this time they were soft with an unfamiliar look. Care? Love? Affection? Tenderness? Passion? Sakura didn't know what it was but she knew they were different, in a good way of course. And nothing seemed more fitting than to smile.
Sasuke saw her smile brightly, which sent his heart thumping against his chest hard. It made his inside melt like butter, an unusual feeling for him but he didn't care because it was a real smile. She was right, her eyes, her bright emerald eyes gave it away like no other. They were brighter than the stars of the night; there wasn't even a competition that needed to be place. Her eyes made the stars look like they weren't even shining.
Just like that the world around them seemed to disappear; nothing else mattered at the moment. It was just the two in each other arms, swaying to the soft music in the background.
She let him sweep her off her feet with a twirl as the last note came to an end. Sasuke slowly leaned down, the distance between their faces were a mere inches away. His hot breath against her face sent shivers down her back. The distance closed in as Sakura rose to her tippy toes. He closed the distance with a simple chaste kiss to her rosy lips.
If it wasn't for Sasuke's hold, Sakura was quite sure she would've fallen to the ground in result of her legs turning to jelly. She felt lightheaded as her face heat up at the same time. But she didn't care, it was a blissfully moment.
Sasuke pulled away and stared into her eyes, half of him was filled with glee while the other wasn't so sure that was the right move. Searching her eyes, he didn't find any surprise or shock instead he found them shining brightly than before. At this discovery, Sasuke granted her another sight of his rare pearly white smiles. God did she know how much she had changed him.
———
*Can't believe the last time I've updated was a month ago... I'm so sorry even though I have this story all written out, I haven't gotten around to re-edit it nor update it. For that, I'm sorry. AP Exams have zero chill let me tell you. I'm still dead from my AP Chem one... next batch is this Friday... Anyways, hoped you enjoyed this chapter despite its many errors.
xoxo, KP