This is kind of a backdrop story for one of the stories I am trying to write. I felt that it was too long of an introduction and may not fit well with the plot of that story. But I had written it. So thought, might as well add it as a stand-alone story. The story is set in modern times (perhaps a slightly near future date) with the characters possessing no special abilities.

"Oye Forehead! Don't forget, we are meeting at seven. So don't be late. Ok."

"YESS, Ino." There was a hint of irritation in the girl's voice as she spun around to address her loud-mouthed friend. "I will be there."

"Don't give me that tone Sakura. You know this is exactly what you need to unwind." Ino threw a knowing look at Sakura who only let out a loud sigh and gave a weak nod.

"I know." She looked at Ino with a weakly attempted smile. "See you then." She turned back, making her way towards her home at her leisurely pace.

Today was the last day of school before summer vacation kicked off, which meant Sakura would be spending the next few weeks studying furiously for her college entrance tests. It was her senior year and she could barely wait for college to start. She always wanted to be a doctor and she had the smarts for it, unlike some of her friends. She sighed and looked up at the blue sky as her thoughts drifted off to her friend.

How is he? What is he doing right now?

He was her best friend and some of her best memories revolved around him. Of course, when she met him first in middle school, he was the annoying and obnoxious brat who would constantly pester her for dates. And every time he did, she had to use all her patience to keep herself from knocking his front teeth out; violence wouldn't look good on her academic record. But over the years, she warmed up to him. It helped that he became less silly and stopped asking her for dates. But his strongest factor was his warm and cheerful presence with his immensely loyal and selfless nature. He was a constant pillar of support for her whenever she needed him to be. He would distract her mind from the most upsetting thoughts and liven up her gloomiest days. And despite the fact that they almost never had the same classes and that their friends circles were completely different, their bond had just grown deeper. Even her parents who showed an initial dislike for the boy had grown to treat him almost like a family member. That's just how he was.

"I am home." Sakura announced as she stepped inside her house.

"Welcome back." The reply came from the back garden.

Sakura placed her school bag on the kitchen table and grabbing a quick drink walked to the back of the house. The back door was slid open revealing Mr. Haruno carrying a few garden tools with hands smeared in mud.

"Where's Mum?" Sakura voiced as she sat on one of the kitchen table watching her father washing his tools at the sink.

"She's at the market. She is planning a special dinner for you…" he turned around to wink at her, "and Naruto."

"Grow up, dad!" Sakura groaned. Her parents wanted to treat her to something special tonight and Sakura knew that they always invited Naruto over for such dinners since he lived alone.

"Besides, Ino and the others planned to eat out tonight. So I will be going along with them."

Her father's smile deflated. "But we planned on such a lovely dinner for you. And Mebuki even said she will get those special squids from that place you like."

"Sorry Dad." She looked pleadingly in his eyes. "But the girls had planned this since last week and I couldn't say no to them."

Her father sighed as he reached over to his phone. "Well, it has to be later then. I will call Mebuki and tell her about it." Before walking out of the kitchen, he turned back once more, a smirk marking his face. "Would Naruto be there too?"

"Dad…" Her growl was threatening.

"Alright. Alright. I was just making sure you were …" Sakura couldn't make out the rest of the sentence as he walked out of the kitchen and her thoughts went back to the source of her irritation.

For the past few months, she had noticed a gradual change in his demeanor. She would catch him looking longingly at her. During their conversations, he would talk less and listen more, which was ridiculous considering his track record. And every time he spoke to her, she would feel his eyes boring into her soul as if trying to grab at something deep, threatening to disrupt the peace they had. It seemed that he wanted something more than the casual friendship they had. And it wasn't just her. Ino also noticed it along with a few others who had known the two.

But me and him?

She could take it if he was acting like his 12-year old self, making loud proclamations about her beauty and asking her for dates every single hour. She could beat him up for that. But this Naruto scared her. He was silent, deep, and intense, somehow more…serious.

So, Sakura decided to distance herself from him arguing that a little time away would wipe away any feelings he had for her, IF he had them in the first place. She slowly started making excuses to avoid hanging out with him. She would even avoid him during school as much as possible. Although, Naruto noticed this, and was visibly irritated by it, he didn't voice any concerns, probably because he was aware of her reasons. Sakura expected that the summer vacation would fix whatever it was that had gone wrong between them and things would go back to how they were—with them being friends, just friends. But as fate would have it, it got worse instead.

Sakura's phone buzzed and she saw Ino's message.

Remember 7PM…don't be late.

Sakura checked the time at the corner of her screen. She still had another hour and a half to get ready and she probably needed a shower before heading out. Dropping her bag in her bedroom, she walked towards the bathroom.

He would probably be there. Just like last time.

A couple of days back, all her friends had gathered at Chouji's place to celebrate the Tanabatta1 festival. Even though Naruto was present, everything was fine until Chouji's parents invited all the guests to gather in the courtyard for a dance—as couples. It was a private tradition of the Akimichi house, they informed, to honor the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi. They didn't insist on girl-boy pairs but it went without saying that it was part of the tradition. This had made Sakura very nervous. She knew that everyone expected her to dance with Naruto, since she was most familiar with him among all the males present. And one glance at Naruto confirmed that he expected the same. Sure she had always hung around Naruto in the past and they were not alien to each other's touch. But she wasn't sure whether Naruto still harbored those feelings for her. Knowing him, he wouldn't let go off his feelings suddenly, again, IF he really had them.

She started panicking internally as Naruto started making his way towards her. She looked around desperately but all the boys from her school had already found a partner. That left some of Chouji's older cousins but they seemed to be interested only in girls their own age. By the time she could look back at Naruto, he was already standing in front of her with his hand drawn asking her permission for a dance. He wore the sweetest smile on his face, something she registered she had missed sorely in the past few months.

But her heart was pounding in her chest and her mind was being torn apart. Should she accept? She knew that this dance wouldn't mean anything, even IF the boy had some feelings for her. Most of the couples around them were just casual friends. And her close friendship with the blonde meant that they could dance to the most sensual songs without feeling embarrassed. But this was Naruto, and Sakura couldn't stomach the thought of things changing between them. She noticed that Naruto had started getting a little anxious and his smile was replaced with a grim look. His hand was still in place and his gaze still bore into her. Unable to look him in the eye, she tried looking away.

"It's just a dance."

His voice; how long had it been. Her eyes travelled back to his face and he was wearing another smile, but this one was artificial. She knew him well enough to recognize one of those. His hand was still hovering in mid-air but his eyes, she noticed, carried so many emotions. She could notice that longing in his eyes, the need to be with her, and the mixture of pain and anger at her behavior. Weren't they the best of friends? Why was she doing this to him?

"I…I am sorry." His hand slowly dropped at her words. She couldn't face him, not with tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. "Excuse me." She bowed and fled inside the Akimichi house leaving a pair of depressed eyes staring at her retreating back.

She remembers crying in one of the bathrooms trying to calm the flood of emotions pouring out of her. After a while, when she felt more relaxed and in control, she walked back to the courtyard to notice that the dance was over and everyone had settled down to enjoy Mrs. Akimichi's cooking. But he was nowhere in sight.

Sakura sighed as she recollected how bad she felt about treating her best friend and how she spent the whole night crying over it. She felt a little refreshed after the long shower and she could see herself in a better light.

Maybe I will talk to him tonight.