Summary: When Uchiha Sasuke, president of Uchiha Corps and one of the most eligible bachelors in Japan requests for shy Hyuuga Hinata, a waitress at a café to be his date for a social event, it had been an agreement of necessity. However, fate works in weird and wonderful ways, and this mismatched couple is destined for more.
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Rating: T for mild swearing.
A/N: Hey all. It's been at least a year since my last fic, so here it is. My first fic in a looooong time! It's rather lengthy, but hope you enjoy it.
Edit (30/12/09): I just posted up a sequel (sort of) - This Night. I say sort-of, because it's not really related to this. Go give it a read it you're interested. Thanks!
Inspired by The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. Awesome drama, go watch it now!
---
Uchiha Sasuke. Twenty-four year old genius. President of Uchiha Corporation. And also extremely pissed off.
Ever since he touched down at Narita Airport two hours ago, he had had to dodge hordes of screaming, squealing and extremely annoying girls chasing after him and his luggage, all hoping to catch an eyeful (or handful) of him. Sasuke shuddered inwardly. He had barely got out of the Departure Hall alive! Right now, he was somewhere in Tokyo after a lengthy train ride; normally, he would have taken his limousine, but he had left his chauffeur and bodyguards to deal with those crazy girls and his luggage.
His step changed from a brisk, fast pace to a slightly slower and more relaxed one. Here in Tokyo, everyone was rushing about their own business. For most people now, lunch hour was nearly over, and they were all intent on getting back to their offices as fast as possible.
---
Once the lunch crowd was gone, the streets were nearly deserted save for a few stragglers. Sasuke glanced at the row of shops on his right and spied a small coffee shop tucked away in the corner. Suddenly, his stomach growled with the remembrance of his last meal – a horribly dry sandwich and weak coffee six hours ago on the plane. Sasuke's mouth quirked upwards in a small smile and walked towards the café. He pushed the door open, and the delicious smell of freshly roasted coffee beans arrested his senses.
---
"Welcome!" several perky female voices called out. Oh, damn. Women. Just what he needed! But he could deal with it, if he could get some strong coffee and a decent meal.
---
"Welcome!" called Hinata, as did the rest of her colleagues. Quickly, she set the cup on the rack and wiped her hands on the dish towel. She peered around the kitchen door curiously; who could be here at this time, since the lunch hour was already over? Ino, her fellow waitress, was taking the order of a young man sitting in the corner. She was all-smiles, and when she walked towards the counter to place the order, she beckoned Hinata, Sakura and Tenten towards her conspiratorially.
"That guy is so dreamy! Oh my God, what I would do to get his number!" Ino gushed.
"Really?" asked Sakura skeptically, though her eyes darted to the young man greedily.
"What's his order?" Tenten asked with a tinge of irritation.
"Oh, I forgot about that. One espresso and two grilled cheese sandwiches."
As Hinata dived back into the kitchen to make the sandwiches, she could hear Sakura and Ino discussing at length the colour of the young man's eyes, replete with high pitched giggles. She sighed and caught Tenten's eye. Tenten shook her head and mouthed "Boy crazy!" to her. Hinata giggled and grabbed a slice of bread from the bread bin.
The sandwiches were done quickly, and by the time she had placed them on a tray, Tenten had also finished brewing the espresso. Hintata placed the cup of espresso on the tray together with the sandwiches and balanced it carefully.
"Here's your cheese sandwiches, sir, and your espres- oh, no!" Hinata had somehow managed to trip over a chair, and the cup of hot espresso spilled onto the young man. Silence ensued for all of five shocked seconds before Hinata broke out into a frantic stammer of "Sorry! Sorry! It was an accident! I didn't mean for that to happen! I'm sorry!"
The young man hissed and stood up. He gritted his teeth and forced out "Never mind. Just tell me where the damn bathroom is."
---
Meanwhile, Sakura and Ino had witnessed the whole thing. As they ran to the young man and tried to blot his pants with a dish towel (and indecent glee), Hinata hung her head in shame. Tenten ambled over and said loudly, "The bathroom is over there by the barrels." The young man left for the bathroom without so much as a nod, and Sakura and Ino turned on Hinata.
"Hinata! Can't you be more careful? Look what you've done! He's injured now! Oh, his lovely, milky skin…" Sakura cried.
"S-sorry…" said Hinata once again.
"Never mind, Hinata. Just clean this up. I'll check on the customer." said Tenten. Hinata nodded and mopped up the mess as best as she could. Sakura hummed as she made another espresso to replace the spilt one, clearly glad to work, if only to have the gorgeous customer drink her coffee.
---
Sasuke scowled. Could his day get any worse? First the fangirls, then the clumsy waitress! He blotted at the stained patches with a paper towel and scarcely turned around when someone knocked on the door. "Sorry, sir. Are you okay? Do you need a change of pants? We have some here, for the male baristas."
"No, it's fine. I'll be out in a moment." he muttered.
"Okay, then." The person said doubtfully and went out.
When he had done all he could with the paper towels, he straightened his coat and walked out. He was immediately greeted by the waitress who had served him. "I'm s-sorry, sir. Are you okay?"
He glanced at her. She was a petite little thing; he was at least a head taller than her. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Behind him, he could hear a few wistful sighs and giggles. He had totally lost his appetite. "I'm fine. Just bag the sandwiches for me."
"Yes, of course!" The waitress squeaked.
He put down a thousand yen bill at the counter and said curtly, "Keep the change." The mousy, shy waitress came out with his sandwiches, and he grabbed the paper bag and exited the shop.
Sakura sat in a corner of the kitchen dejectedly. "He didn't drink my coffee…"
---
Later that day, Sasuke walked into the restaurant with an air of caution about him. Nothing could go wrong here, right? He quickly located his mother, and without even so much as a greeting, he said, "Let's order. I'm starving."
The bread basket and soup arrived, and Sasuke tore at the bread hungrily. His mother laughed, and he scowled and recounted his exciting misadventures of that afternoon.
"Anyway, Sasuke, I've called you here today for a reason."
"I guessed as much."
"You're getting old, Sasuke."
"Mother, I'm twenty-four."
"Well, old enough to marry, anyway."
Sasuke slumped in his seat. The bread was suddenly as savoury as old gruel. So this was why he was having dinner with his mother in a fancy restaurant, when usually she avoided places like this.
"I don't want to marry yet."
"There's Karin. You've been with her for awhile."
"Karin's my secretary!"
"Still," his mother pursed her lips stubbornly. "You need to marry. Next week there'll be a big party thrown in honour of Suzuki Sake's fiftieth anniversary, and you'll be attending."
"But-"
"No buts. There are some lovely girls there, and I want you to mix around with some of them. And bring a date, or I'll ask Shizuka along."
"Not Shizuka!" Shizuka was Sasuke's neighbour and long time member of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club.
"So you're going with a date, then."
When Sasuke didn't answer, his mother smirked. She couldn't wait to get home and phone all her girlfriends to bring their daughters down for the party.
They ate the rest of the meal in silence. A moody silence for Sasuke, and a silence of quiet triumph for his mother.
---
The next day, there was a short article in the tabloids about Uchiha Sasuke looking for a prospective partner. Sasuke suspected his mother had something to do with that article. "Must be a slow news day." he commented caustically. Now, sarcasm and disdain aside, where in the whole of Japan would he find a date? Women scared him; they were always screaming and chasing him. Blind dates didn't work; he had tried them before with varying degrees of failure.
As he walked across the office lobby, he couldn't help but notice several greedy – and some envious stares directed his way. He shrugged them off uneasily and got into the lift. The lift ride was nearly unbearable, for there was a flighty secretary who kept giggling and glancing at him. It was even worse when he got to his floor. Karin looked up from her work and batted her eyelashes at him. She puckered her lips and blew him a kiss. Sasuke shuddered and walked into his office, closing the door with a slam. He sighed in relief, but apparently, his troubles were not over yet because a tall figure tackled him to the floor.
"What the hell, Kiba! What are you doing in my office?" Sasuke growled angrily as he massaged his head. "Ow, damn…"
"Uchiha Sasuke on the prowl again, eh?" Kiba grinned cheekily. "Hey, man. Your mum told me to introduce you to some girls. You need a date, don't you?"
His mother. Oh, right. Well, at least now he was sure who was behind the article. "No, I don't need your help. I can imagine what kind of girls you'd introduce me to." Sasuke said shortly. Irritating, screaming, giggling girls who were undoubtedly a part of his fan club.
"Hey, I have standards too, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I need to work. Go away."
Sasuke shooed Kiba out of his office and sank down into his plush leather chair. This was so troublesome.
---
Hinata parked the café van in the carpark of the vast building and lifted the coffee carriers carefully. She entered the building looking rather out of place in her barista outfit and bulky coffee carriers. She consulted a hastily scribbled note. "Let's see…level twelve…okay."
Hinata exited the lift and stared at the surroundings in awe. The décor was stylish and modern while also being comfortable. "Um… are you Karin-san? This is the coffee delivery from Rose Café…"
"Oh? Rather fast, aren't you? Just leave the coffees here, and bring the espresso to the president. He's in his office. Make sure to tell him it's from me!" Karin giggled.
Hinata made her way through the cubicles as unobtrusively as possible. As Hinata always tried to blend into the background most of the time, it wasn't a difficult task for her. With whispered excuse me's and apologies, she finally reached the office. She knocked on the door twice and waited, feeling like a fool. What if no one was inside…? But Karin had said to bring the coffee to the president, hadn't she? Hinata looked up at the gold-embossed plaque on the door. "Uchiha Sasuke, President" she read. Wow, Uchiha Sasuke? She was at the office of one of the most powerful men in Japan! Her eyes almost bugged out in awe but suddenly, the door flung open violently. "What? If it's something trivial, you're going to pay for this…"
Hinata shrank back in fear. She looked to the ground nervously. "Uh, coffee delivery! Um…Karin-san said to bring the espresso to you!" She thrust the espresso towards him and shrank back even more, as though afraid he would explode.
"Oh. Fine." The man grabbed the proffered espresso and walked back into the office. The door closed, and Hinata walked off. "Scary…"
---
Sasuke sipped the espresso quietly. Scalding-hot and strong, just the way he liked it. He made a mental note to thank Karin. Through the blinds on his window, Sasuke stared at the delivery girl. Funny, it felt like he had seen her before. When she was about to turn the corner at a cubicle, Sasuke suddenly had a brainwave. He opened the door and poked his head out. "Oi, coffee girl! Come here for a moment!" The girl stopped and turned around. "Me?" she pointed at herself and looked around nervously.
"Yeah, you. No one else here delivers coffee." he said. Somehow, it had come out harsher than he had intended. A few of his female subordinates tittered and he glared at them until they stopped. The girl stopped in front of him and he pulled her into his office, which drew curious looks. "Y-yes?" she asked timidly.
"Want to be my date?" he asked.
"Eh?!"
---
Hinata was about to reach the lift lobby when suddenly, she heard a shout. "Oi, coffee girl! Come here for a moment!"
She turned sharply and spied the scary man looking at her. "M-me?" she stuttered.
"Yeah, you. No one else here delivers coffee." he said.
She flinched inwardly, but tried to keep her face blank.
She retraced her steps and was shocked when the scary man suddenly pulled her into his office.
"Y-yes?" she stuttered anxiously.
"Want to be my date?" he asked.
"Eh?!" she exclaimed, startled. "I- what is this all about?"
"I'll explain to you later. Answer me first. Are you free on Saturday next week, and do you want to be my date?"
"I – well, I don't even know you!"
"Don't worry about that. Will you be my date?"
Hinata stared at her feet. What did she have to lose, anyway? "Well- I- oh, fine! What is this all about?"
"Smart girl," he said and flashed her a charming half-smile. "I need a date next week for a party. You're not a fan of mine, are you?"
"How conceited!" Hinata thought. But she looked up at him and said, "No, I'm not…wait, you're t-the customer from the other time!"
He stared at her in confusion, but gradually, there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "And you're the waitress who spilt coffee on me."
"S-sorry! Sorry!" she apologised, feeling embarrassed yet again.
"Don't worry about it." his mouth quirked upwards genially. "Now, coffee girl. Since you're my date for the party, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Uchiha Sasuke. You are?"
"Hyuuga Hinata…" she said softly, as though ashamed of her name.
"Well, Hyuuga-san. Let's have lunch."
"What? Lunch?"
"Don't look so surprised. You know, lunch. A meal people eat in the afternoon." he said dryly. When she didn't reply, he just grabbed his coat and her hand and dragged her out of the office. "Come on, let's go."
---
They were in a small restaurant, and Hinata looked everywhere and at everything but Sasuke. "What would you like?" he asked. "Just iced tea, thanks." she said quietly. "Well, then, two iced teas." Sasuke told the waiter. The drinks promptly arrived, and Sasuke steepled his fingers.
"Now, Hyuuga-san. Since you don't know me, and I don't know you, let's spend this hour talking."
"A-about?"
"Ourselves. Let me start first. What's your favourite colour?"
"Lavender and grey."
"Mine's blue and black. Now you come up with a question."
"Well…okay. How old are you?"
Hinata had to admit, he was a charmer. As the hour passed, she found herself relaxed in his presence and totally sucked into his little game of questions. When the hour was up, she felt slight regret to be leaving so soon. She chided herself for that thought and blushed. Sasuke held out his mobile phone and said, "Phone number?" she typed in her number quickly. She felt her jeans pocket for her phone and blushed sheepishly. "I, uh, left my phone in my van…"
"It's okay, I'll call." Sasuke pocketed his phone and they exited the restaurant. He drove back to his office and Hinata got into her van hastily. She looked at the digital clock and groaned. Sakura would have something to say about her lateness.
---
Sasuke smiled in satisfaction. There, date settled, and his mother wouldn't be able to bother him for the rest of the week.
"What was that all about, Sasuke-kun?" Karin pouted.
"Nothing. Thanks for the coffee, Karin." Sasuke replied smoothly.
---
In the days leading up to the party, Hinata found herself constantly thinking of the suave young man. Even though it was an agreement of necessity, it was still the first time any boy had ever asked her out. She kept her phone with her at all times, and rushed to answer calls and messages, which always turned out to be someone other than Sasuke and dashed her momentarily raised hopes again.
Before long, it was already Friday, and still no word from Sasuke. She stared at her phone glumly and flicked her cell phone charm. Suddenly, it vibrated and an unknown number flashed on the small screen. Hinata grabbed her phone quickly, feeling a jolt of excitement, and pressed the button. She lifted the phone to her ear and said uncertainly "H-hello…?"
"Hyuuga-san?" a masculine voice replied? "It's Uchiha here. Hope you haven't forgotten me."
"O-of course not!" she squeaked. Forget him? Oh, the very idea!
"That's good to hear. Anyway, I'll pick you up tomorrow at the café at five. Is that fine?"
"But I don't have anything to wear!"
There was a pause. Hinata bit her lip anxiously, afraid that he would hang up, or worse, cancel the date completely.
"Well, don't worry. I've got a solution. See you then, Hyuuga-san."
"Oh, uh-" her sentence was promptly cut off by interjection of the dial tone.
"Thanks," she whispered.
---
Hinata woke up on Saturday morning feeling nervous and jumpy. She fretted the whole day away, and a sense of panic and alarm gradually crept up on her as five o'clock drew closer. She took a quick bath and pulled on a well-worn but clean sun dress. Though her family was rich, she had never considered dresses a wardrobe necessity, but now she wished she'd paid more attention to that department. Hinata put her hair up in her usual bun and brushed on some lip gloss and foundation. After checking her reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time, she left the house and made her way to the café.
She stood outside the café anxiously. The café was closed that day, and it felt weird to pass by the café but not enter. When the hands of the big clock outside the building opposite the café struck five, and there was still no sign of Sasuke, Hinata started to panic. She bit her lip and furrowed her brows as thoughts like "What if he doesn't come?" and "What if I got the time wrong?" raced through her mind in circles. Just as she was contemplating calling him, there was a tap on her shoulder.
"Hey."
She looked up and saw Sasuke. He was dressed in an immaculate black tuxedo, and he looked absolutely dashing. She smiled gratefully and let herself be led to his limousine. Sasuke got in after her and snapped his fingers. The chauffeur sped off, and Hinata and Sasuke fell into a comfortable silence. Hinata regarded the scenery of the brightly-outfitted Saturday crowds with delight, and when she tired of them, she pulled herself away from the tinted windows and sneaked surreptitious glances at Sasuke. "Stop it!" she said sternly to herself. "You're as bad as Sakura or Ino. What would Tenten say if she saw you like this?" Despite her half-hearted admonishments, she still blushed when she peeked at his handsome side profile. His eyelashes were so long. Why hadn't she noticed it before?
The chauffeur stopped the car beside a large building.
"Come on out."
Hinata scrambled out of the plush interior of the limousine, and she barely had time to smooth down her dress before Sasuke led her through the glass double doors of the building.
---
The next hour was the best that Hinata had ever spent.
As soon as she entered the building, hairstylists, make-up artists and wardrobe consultants were pulling her every which way. In the end, the hairstylist won and she was dragged to a beautiful salon, which was empty, except for her. The hairstylist ooh-ed and ahh-ed as he untied her bun and a wave of sleek black hair cascaded down her back. He trimmed her hair a little here and there, straightened her hair and pulled it back in a sleek half-ponytail, which showed off her delicate high cheekbones.
She was whisked off moments later to the makeup artist's counter. Her pitiful attempt at makeup earlier was wiped off, and the make-up artist brushed on some foundation and a pale lilac eye shadow. A light dusting of rouge and a layer of mascara on her newly-curled eyelashes later, the make-up artist proudly told Hinata to open her eyes. What she saw in the mirror was astounding – was that really her? The girl in the mirror with the exquisite lips and the enchanting eyes was her, wallflower Hyuuga Hinata? She caught her breath and lifted a finger to her eyes.
"Careful, lovie. Don't smudge it." the make-up artist warned with a smile at Hinata's wonder.
Hinata called back hurried thanks as she rushed to the wardrobe department, feeling slightly light-headed.
"Twirl around a bit, won't you, love." a severe-looking woman asked.
Hinata turned shyly, and there was a chorus of approving murmurs in the entourage of wardrobe consultants. She felt a tad embarrassed to be in the center of attention, and she blushed a little. The severe-looking woman stalked off to a rack of dresses and flicked through the dresses impatiently. Her search proved successful, for she pulled a dress off the rack with a triumphant grin. She handed the dress to Hinata and practically shoved her into the changing room. When the door next opened, the woman grinned toothily at a job well-done, and her underlings clapped enthusiastically.
Hinata smiled despite her turbulent emotions. She looked in the mirror and got shocked for the second time in less than an hour. The dress was indeed lovely. It was a rich shade of midnight-blue, and the dress seemed as though it was perfectly melded to her body; it rippled and flowed with her as she walked and moved. But what was lovelier, her mind said self-indulgently, was herself. The dress accentuated her curves which she had always hidden under loose shirts and basic pants. For tonight at least, her mind interjected again, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. A smile lit up her face as she stepped into the diamante strappy heels and spritzed on the plum blossom perfume.
"Go get them, girl!" a voice called out from the small team of assembled wardrobe consultants.
The smile she returned was so wide, it threatened to spill right off her face.
"I will!"
---
Sasuke paced the lobby impatiently. The hour was nearly up. If they didn't leave now, they would be late, and to top it all off, he'd have to face the wrath of his mother. The sound of heels clacking against the parquet floor interrupted his agitated pacing, and he looked up at the staircase. A woman in a midnight-blue dress was walking down the stairs, and when she turned her head and met Sasuke's eyes, he halted in his tracks and gripped his phone, which he had nearly dropped, tightly.
Where had the timid, clumsy girl gone, and who was this sophisticated lady in her place?
Hinata was gorgeous.
Sasuke had meant for this to be a one off-thing, but it was clear that he wouldn't be forgetting her anytime soon.
-fin-