"Teach me to play?" Neji looked up in surprise to find Tenten peering down at him. She was watching him with a smile but he could see the nerves in her eyes that showed her fear for his answer. He carefully put down his violin and tried to remain calm, outwardly at the least.
"You want to learn the violin?" She nodded and sat down beside him, their legs brushing and he tried not to let it show how much he was affected by even that small touch.
"I've always loved music and I've always wanted to learn to play. But my parents never signed me up as a kid and then when I got older, well, other stuff always seemed to get in the way. But when I heard you playing, I was just mesmerized. You're amazing," He prayed to any god that existed that he wasn't blushing, "and I thought, 'Hey, maybe Neji could teach me.' You don't have to if you don't want to or anything, but if you have any spare time, well, I'd really appreciate it." As if he could ever say no to that hopeful smile of hers.
"Of course. If you're sure, because it isn't easy and it takes a lot of time and effort." She nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh definitely, I'm definitely serious. Thank you so much Neji! This means the world, really!" She leaned forward and hugged him in her enthusiasm and he froze in shock, feeling heat rise to his face. She seemed to notice his discomfort (not that he'd call it that exactly...) and pulled away with a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, I've obviously been hanging out with Lee too much." He narrowed his eyes at the two of them spending "too much" time together, only to mentally shake his head, because a) Lee was in love with Sakura and b) Unfortunately, Tenten was no more than an almost friend and he had no right to be upset about who she hung out with.
"So when should we start?" She asked, her excitement palpable. He felt a little pleased that it was him making her that happy.
"We'll have to figure out when we're both free. We should probably exchange numbers." He reached into his pocket for his phone and she raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't we exchange numbers for that Gym project we did? Or did you delete my number as soon as it was over?" She asked with a grin. He felt an embarrassed flush trying to work its way onto his face and wanted to smack himself.
"No, I still have it. Sorry, I clearly wasn't thinking." Her smirk widened and he frowned. She stood and he could feel disappointment hardening in his stomach.
"Well, just let me know whenever your free." She said making her way to the door and he nodded.
"Oh and Neji," She said turning to look at him over her shoulder with a smile that twisted his insides, "I'm really hoping this is going to be a "hands on" sort of training." His eyes widened in shock and hers flashed before she left the room and he could feel his head spinning.
So the violin? Definitely the best decision he's ever made.