It was going to take some getting used to, this 'dating' thing.
That had been his first thought, after the whole day they had spent together. It had the title and it had been referred to as a date for all purposes and to all who asked. It was a date. They were officially dating. So why, after the second and now some of the third, did it not feel as different as it should have?
Next to him, Temari walked as she always did, with a subtle but clear movement of hips that called for Shikamaru's attention. They had left the bar not ten minutes ago and had been talking until recently, though neither could remember what the topic had been from the second they'd both gone silent. People that liked each other went on dates; they became a couple. They got to know each other better and became better friends…eventually, they would hold hands, hug…lie comfortably next to each other…maybe, if things went well, the couple would kiss…
It was clear they liked each other. If Shikamaru didn't like Temari, he wouldn't have asked her out on a date. If Temari didn't like Shikamaru, she wouldn't be here, for the third time, spending her private time with him. They knew each other well and were good friends. As for the hand holding, hugging and kissing…none of that had happened. Could that have been the reason for the lack development in their new, romantic relationship? Or could it have been something else neither had picked up on? Was lack of experience to blame? Shikamaru thought.
As relaxed and uninterested as he could sometimes appear to be, he wasn't as dense as some believed. He knew he liked Temari, even before the war. He had enough life experience to realize what he felt towards her was different from what he felt towards, say, Ino, Hinata, his mother. What he lacked was this: dating experience. He didn't know when or how to ask a girl out, if he should even ask her, how to react if she said yes, or if he said no, and what was supposed to happen after the yes. He had asked her, she'd said yes. Now what?
Officially, they were a couple. But then, hadn't they been confused for a couple before they had started dating? Annoyed and relieved, Shikamaru cast his eyes away from Temari. It was obvious, yet it had taken him - he glanced at his watch- two whole minutes to figure it out. If dating was getting to know each other better and becoming closer friends, then they'd been dating for a few years already. He didn't see her often, especially during the events leading up to the war, but every time they met they spoke casually, with such familiarity that anyone might have confused them for…a couple. The name meant nothing and meant everything to him at that moment. He turned his eyes up at Temari, who had been mirroring him. She looked uncomfortable. Or maybe embarrassed?
With years of dating experience under his belt, Shikamaru pulled his right hand out of his pocket, quickly wiped it against his pants and took Temari's hand.
The last 14 minutes felt like a second compared to the half of a minute he waited for her reaction. He watched her from the corner of his eye, waiting.
There it was.
Her lips moved to the left. She was thinking.
They parted, slowly. Then…
She let out a breath.
Shikamaru held her hand tight and pulled her closer. She smiled a shy smile.
He could have married her then, right in the streets.
But, he supposed, as experienced as he was, he could still learn a thing or two…maybe in a few minutes, he'd put his arm around her shoulder. Maybe, if the mood was right (and it would be), they'd exchange more than a wave goodbye.