disclaimer: i don't own naruto.
"On the poolside staring into glowing blue,
Swimsuit issues with my toes curled in the grooves
I could tell that you wanted to,
Jump In The Pool"
They were overheating on a mini bus on their way to the nearest beach. It was summer, and today was a good day for the both of them to get away from the loud, suffocating city. Neither had university lectures or their part-time jobs to get in the way of a perfect weekend with only the sand, sea and sun. They were youngsters, just enjoying their time as a couple before they grew up and became too mature for naïve loving. They both realized that once Sakura had completed her course and received her degree, and when Sasuke finally got a proper job, their end as a couple would be nigh.
But at the moment, they didn't think about the future – only the present was on their minds. They travelled on a desolate narrow road, the mini bus doing 40 in a 70mph zone. The ride was rough, and Sasuke used that as an excuse to keep his hands on her for the whole journey, keeping her steady as they rode over numerous potholes. His fingers brushed up and down her waist at a toxically steady pace. They were the only people on the bus, save for the 3 elderly women at the front, who were evidently only here for the specialty scones you could buy at the cafes.
Sakura stared outside of the window, her oversized sunglasses covering the empty, hollow look in her eyes. Without thinking, she protectively squeezed Sasuke's hand that was on her waist and turned her head to look at him. She pulled her Ray-bans off her face so they were neatly balancing on the peak of her head. She smiled insecurely, and although Sasuke could see the disguised look she was giving him, he decided to ignore it, rejecting the beginning cracks in a failing relationship, and kissed her on the lips soothingly.
"We're almost there," he softly stated, the words leaving a tingling vibration on Sakura's lips, as he looked outside of the window at the blurring images of the beach.
Sakura also turned her head and smiled, her spirits immediately lifting at arriving at their destination. She rested her head relaxingly on his shoulder, breathing in his masculine, spicy scent.
As the mini bus pulled over at a bus stop, the passengers got off, including the elderly ladies, who immediately began reveling over the gorgeous view.
Sasuke held the entirety of their luggage, except for a picnic basket for lunch on the beach and a small Louis Vuitton trunk which Sakura carried.
They made a quick stop at the beach house they were staying at, which they rented out for the whole weekend. They got changed into their bathing suits, Sasuke donning loose trunks, and Sakura wearing a white, thin sundress on top of a white bikini. They didn't immediately go down to the beach and instead stayed awhile, Sakura sitting on Sasuke's lap on a swinging bench on the wooden deck. The view was magnificent; just a vast horizon of every tone of blue imaginable.
Sasuke kicked his heel on the floor, so the couple was swinging back and forth in silence. It was the type of silence that doesn't require any words to be made to break it. They were comfortable in each other's presence, as if they had been together all of their lives.
The chirping of seagulls was heard in the backdrop, along with the light rocking of the waves. They treasured the romantic moment and Sakura ended up closing her eyes to take a snapshot of the very second in history. She thought that she would never find a love like this again, but here's to hoping.
She eventually got off of Sasuke, giggling youthfully. Picking up the picnic basket, she hightailed for the beach, childishly calling out behind her, "Last one there buys the ice cream!"
He caught up to her as she was entering the shallow waters and tackled her from behind. She fell to the ground in a fit of laughter, as he tickled her all over, of course with the knowledge that tickling was her weak spot.
Finding that Sakura was lacking oxygen from all the hyped up laughing she was performing, Sasuke eventually got off her and picked her up off the floor. Her white dress was already sticking to her skin from when he had barreled her into the water and her hair was already matted and stained with salt water, but she ignored it and set out their luxurious lunch.
It was only them on the beach for as far as they could see. The homely smell of the sea seared into Sakura's memory, and as soon as it did, she knew that sitting on the beach, eating cucumber sandwiches and sharing a cheap bottle of champagne with Sasuke had just filed itself into her archives, and she would remember that moment for as long as the sea was still careering.
The sun was soon to set. They could already see the orange hues painting itself along the horizon. Brushing off the sand particles that stuck to his trunks, Sasuke got off the picnic blanket and calmly walked into the water. He slowly set off into a lazy backstroke, watching Sakura who was watching him, as he smiled to himself and waved a small hand for her to join him.
She complied and dived into the sea. She came back up again after a few seconds of just feeling that liquid surround her in an embryonic embrace. Her back arched as she came out of water, her hair flew around her face and she looked just like the embodiment of a mythological mermaid. The waves glimmered around her form in the sunset, as blazing pinks, reds and oranges were reflected off the water's surface, setting a luxurious complexion on Sakura's fair skin.
For a second, Sasuke was completely mesmerized at her beauty and innocence. There was a picturesque quality about the way Sakura always presented herself which made Sasuke feel like he was the luckiest guy in the world – but something was always missing.
Sakura swam towards where Sasuke was lingering in the water, as she splashed him in the face playfully. An innocent battle ensued of who would surrender first, as their heads were held under the water until they flayed their arms about for the other to stop. Sakura uncontrollably laughed as she was the first to lose, in which she rewarded the victorious Sasuke with a quick peck on the lips. However, the kiss was obviously not enough, and Sasuke grabbed her by the wrist when she tried to swim away and pulled her back into his muscular chest. He pressed his lips to hers and slipped in his tongue gently. Running his rough hands down her side, he played with the small knot on the sides of her bikini bottoms until he felt that they should be undone and taken off of her body.
That evening, they made love in the water to the harmony of the seagulls and the soothing waves. The sun set around them in a sight that was so beautiful, as their bodies joined and danced together.
.&.
The next morning, Sasuke was the first to wake and climb out of their bed which they had stumbled into in the midst of their third time. He made breakfast and sat down on the porch swing with the morning paper and a cup of coffee in his hands. In the house, he heard Sakura's footsteps slowly approach his spot but the feeling of excitement that had been revived just yesterday, had suddenly extinguished altogether. He felt it somewhere in his chest. Something had changed, and it wasn't just him who was feeling the strangeness of it all. As Sakura poked her head around the door, he could also see that look of emptiness that pooled in her emerald eyes.
The end of the something they had shared had come.
"You're up early," Sakura said, grabbing a croissant off the kitchen table as she took a seat at the opposite end of the bench.
He simply answered with a small hum of recognition, focusing all his attention on the articles of black and white words in front of him.
They sat in silence, and this time round it was the uncomfortable and awkward type.
Suddenly, Sasuke folded his newspaper up and placed it on the floor beside his feet along with his empty coffee cup. He turned to face the view, and avoided eye contact with Sakura. "This isn't fun anymore."
She took a quick glance at him, her eyes glazing over with a stony set. "Love isn't fun?"
He gritted his teeth and strained out, "No."
They both knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but they couldn't point out what had gone so wrong. From time-to-time, they had ignored and rejected the signs of the cracks in the foundations of their relationship, but that just made them bigger and then before either of them knew it, the wounds were too great to heal.
"I mean," Sasuke quickly added, "the sex was fun…"
He looked her way as a small, amused smile creeped onto his handsome face. They shared a light, mutual laugh, and she nodded her head in agreement, but then the moment passed and a cold overtone of reality slipped over them.
"You already packed your bags, didn't you?" Sakura asked, referring to the trunks that were sitting near the doorway, all waiting to be taken home again.
He nodded his head solemnly, thinking that the actual performance of breaking up with his girlfriend was harder than acting it out in his head. "I'll take the next bus back and you can stay here for a while longer, relax and enjoy yourself."
"Enjoy myself without you?" she asked, but as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't and simply looked down at her twiddling fingers placed in her lap with a look of guilt and shame. She noticed that she was only wearing her underwear and Sasuke's shirt, which was the first thing that she had picked up when she had stumbled out of bed. She smiled sadly at her words and internally scolded herself for making it seem like she couldn't live without him. Their love was pathetic and young, and didn't deserve to be made into such a big deal. They were, after all, only 19.
He pretended that he didn't hear her words and instead got up from his seat and picked up his luggage waiting at the door. Completely ready, he simply walked down the steps, onto the gravel walkway, stopping only to say behind his shoulder, "I'm glad we treated this like grown-ups."
Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool
Such a beautiful song, and the Lenka Livelounge cover isn't half bad either.
Hope you enjoyed, x