The seed of doubt was unknowingly planted and the only thing to appease her worries was him.
A sasusaku AU. Snippet (may turn into full fic eventually). Heartfelt and genuine romance/love. Age gap; with Sakura being younger.
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"Don't you think that he's a little old for you," Hinata asked, a disgusted look on her face as she eyed the man closely.
"That's what makes it fun", Ino said slyly while nudging her friend's shoulder with a subtle wink. "Right, Sakura?"
The pinkette blushed, unable to come up with words as her gaze shifted to the man across the room. He looked handsome tonight in his perfectly tailored suit and tie, a wine glass in his left hand as he discussed business with his work colleagues.
Suddenly, a subtle smirk emerged on his thin lips and she quickly looked away; her flushed cheeks reddened. 'Damn it I've been caught. But how did he know?' She nibbled on her bottom lip and looked at her friends as they continued on with the tedious conversation.
"Well I personally find it distasteful for a grown ass man to form a relationship of any kind with someone as sweet and innocent as Sakura."
"Not so innocent... if you ask me," Ino mumbled under her breath, causing the pink-haired woman to nearly choke on her own beverage. Her eyes widened as Ino smiled at her knowingly.
As if she hadn't just taken a jab at Sakura's love life.
"I'm an adult...," Sakura said after clearing her throat. "I'm more than capable of making my own decisions; though I appreciate your concern for my well-being your worries are unfounded."
Hinata's lips twisted into a deep frown as she brought her glass to her lips. "I just hope you're not making a mistake, Sakura. Do be careful, won't you." Feeling annoyed by her friend's comments, she nodded in an effort to appease her and defuse the situation.
Later on that night...
He was panting harshly when he shifted from atop her, his body covered in a thin layer of sweat due to his efforts and she quickly turned over from her back to her side to face him. His eyes were closed, but his expression was one of serene contentment.
Sakura too was out of breath and took a moment to calm herself back down before approaching the issue that had been bothering her since the work party. "Sasuke...," she called out to him softly and waited for him to acknowledge her before continuing. "Why are you with me?"
His head tilted towards her and he finally opened his eyes to look at her. "What?"
She blushed and bit at her bottom lip before letting out a tired sigh. "I mean what do you see in me that you find so appealing? Why did you pick me to date, when you could have any woman that you wanted?" Sasuke's brows drew together as he twisted slightly from his back to face her.
Sasuke avoided her questions by asking one of his own. "Sakura, where is all of this doubt coming from?"
A wayward tear slipped and dropped to the pillow beneath her head. Sakura closed her eyes for fear that more would follow it and was unwilling to see the disappointment in his eyes when she continued. "Well, I was talking with a friend tonight who thinks that our age gap is "disgusting"... and a reason we shouldn't be seeing each other. I just wondered if it was something that had crossed your mind or bothered you."
He sighed. "Some friend...," he mumbled under his breath before turning over fully to face her on the bed, reaching to pull her toward him and rested his forehead against hers in an attempt to sooth her. "Look, Sak, if I in any way thought like your friend did do you honestly think I'd be dating you? That I'd be in bed with you right now? Our bed, mind you." His fingers brushed gently along the underside of her eyes to dry up her tears before slowly tracing the outline of her features, settling his left palm on the side of her neck after. "I'm with you, Sakura... because I want to be. Because we make each other whole and happy. Because I love you."
"R-really?! Y-you mean t-that, Sasuke-kun," she whispered while wrapping her arms around him; her leg dangling over his hip to force her body to press firmly against his.
"Every word," he whispered back as he leaned slightly to press his lips against her forehead. "Don't let anyone tell you any different. Don't let our age difference dictate how we feel about one another. Age is just a number after all. I know my feelings are genuine. I know what I want. I don't want anyone else. Nothing will change the way I feel about you, Sakura. Nothing and no one."
Feeling at ease by his confession, she could only nod as her throat began to constrict with the emotions welling up inside of her. He was right. Why had she let what others said earlier affect her so much? She'd made a mistake, but she vowed then and there that it would never happen again.
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*Don't take this as I hate Hinata for making her character like this! I really like her a lot, I just felt with her being from a "noble" background in this idea, she'd have these views most over anyone else. I felt she fit best in this role.*