The few, but current reviews stated they wished the original story was longer. Truth be told, I've had a slightly longer story written out in short snippets and they've been sitting on my computer for the past however many years. An edit of the original 'spiced tea and late night kisses' will come, but in the meantime, enjoy the slice of life events leading up to it! Each story is still short, but I'm hoping that they'll paint a bigger picture. :) Kudos to you if you can guess which campus this is based off of! 24th Street was no joke, you guys.


1. from the very beginning

Hinata would not call it stalking. She was simply... going out of her way to see him. Technically it was only on Tuesdays and Thursdays and only on her way back from one particular class. She would go the long way back to her dorm, up the steep slope of 24th Street, just to see him rolling down in the opposite direction on his longboard. And then she would sigh.

And technically, it had only been this way since midterms. They had met the previous semester through Sakura and she had always, always, always liked Naruto from almost the moment they had met. She had a tradition of meeting up with Sakura for ice cream after exams and on one particular night, Sakura had brought him along. Even before they were introduced, he had caught her eye and she couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in the pit her stomach. Thinking back, it was a terrible shame that she was so shy; she wouldn't directly speak to for the duration of the night. Her nose scrunches at the thought of a missed opportunity.

As Hinata made her trek home, calves slightly burning, a flash of orange catches her eye from across the street. Ah, it's him. She doesn't know if it's the hot spring weather or the steepness of the sidewalk, but she feels her face warming, her heart skipping a beat. Really, there was no denying it- Hinata had it bad. For once in her life, she's never wanted more. They were vague friends at best, only meeting whenever their mutual friends called for a get together. What did he like to do? What did he like to eat? As she settles down in her dorm room and switches the electric kettle on to make a cup of tea, her notes lay cast aside and all her thoughts are filled with a burst of orange and a smile that makes her heart explode.