If I were you
Chapter 3.
"Hinata isn't in."
That was the same reply the man who always answers the phone at the art galley had given me the last time I'd called. And the time before that.
"She's on vacation," I reply."So I've been told all week. It's Friday. Will she be back on Monday?"
Silence filters into the line. "I can take a message."
I'd already left several and I see no point in leaving another.
"No thank you." I hang up and sip my vanilla latte from the Barnes & Noble Cafe, where I'd just finished tutoring a football player hoping to impress college with more than his playing skills.
The entire Hinata situation is driving me nuts. I've already double-checked the time I have left to clear out the storage unit, considering Ino hadn't exactly been a wealth of information, and it is a short window-one more week. After that, it would be another two hundred dollars for another full month. A hard blow to my cash flow on an already tight budget. The manager has given me one extra week free for which I am grateful, but I have to deal with Hinata and do it now.
With my laptop already open and powered up, I key in the Allure Art Gallery website, intending to search the staff listing to be sure Hinata's name still appears. Sure enough, Hinata is listed as marketing director. Hmm. Well, that's good. That has to be a sign she's okay. Doesn't it?
An event banner on the side of the page catches my eye and I click on it. There's a showing at the gallery this Wednesday night and not for some unknown artist, either. A thrill goes through me at the realization that the highly acclaimed artist Kiba Inuzuka is doing a showing. I adore Kiba Inuzuka's depiction of his homeland, Mexico, and though it's rather well known in an artsy city like San Fran that someone of his stature owns a home here, he rarely makes appearances. But then, this is a good cause, a black-tie charity event with both ticket prices, and a piece of Inuzuka's art, being auctioned off as donations to a local children's hospital. Surely, with such an event Hinata will be at the helm.
Trapping my nails on the wooden table, I consider my options.
If I can't reach for Hinata before the show, I'll attend the event. Silently, I laugh at myself. Who am I kidding? I'm going to see Kiba Inuzuka, even if I have to eat ramen noodles for two weeks to do so, and since the tickets are a hundred dollars a pop, I will. But I never, ever splurge. I bite my bottom lip and fret, and then before I can stop myself, I click on the BUY TICKETS button. I won't be able to get a refund if I reach Hinata before then, but I'll just have to rough it. I can't stop the smile from sliding to my lips. It's not like it will be torture to have to meet Kiba Inuzuka. I feel better with a plan. Now, if I can just get through to Ino and hear she is okay, I might actually sleep tonight.
Wednesday evening arrives and Hinata is still "not in" per the Allure staff. So, I am off to the Inuzuka event, but my excitement over the showing has been doused quite effectively by the feeling that something really is wrong. The entire situation makes me anxious, and while I have preferred some company and moral support at the night's event, I had dismissed the idea. I wasn't about to try and explain why I was hunting down Hinata Hyuga, whom I didn't know, and who I feared had met an untimely... something. I'm not going to even let my mind elaborate on that thought. And I won't justify my worry by letting anyone else read Hinata's private thoughts.
I pull my car into the parking spot several blocks away from the gallery, by both necessity and preference. As I open the door, the chilly evening wind lifts off the nearby ocean, blowing loose strands of my long hair astray. Goose bumps form on my arms, and I gather my cream-colored shawl over my matching simple but elegant knee-length sheath dress. Okay, Ino's dress and shawl actually, but we were always borrowing each other's clothes. As a formality, I'd have asked if she minded, but I still can't get a hold of her. I lock the car and slide my keys into the dainty cream-colored shoulder purse that I'd bought on the pier last summer.
I inhale the air, embracing the sounds and sights, the action of the SoMa art district, bustling with people enjoying the stores, museums, and array of art galleries. I don't come down here often. I just can't. It reminds me of those dreams I've never chased. It's been too long, though, I realize, nearly a year since I've enjoyed the market street scene. The architecture, ranging from newly developed shiny glass structures to old warehouses converted into home and work spaces, was as much art as the sculptures and drawings on the concrete walls of the random buildings. I feel something special here. I feel alive here. It's what I feel when I leave I dislike.
When the gallery comes into view, I pause to watch a group of elegantly dressed visitors pour through the double glass doors, which are lined in shiny silver for the black-tie affair. Artsy swirls of red letters, displayed above the entry, spell ALLURE.
Nerves flutter in my stomach, though I can't say why. I love the contemporary art Allure specializes in, love their mix of local new artist who I can discover, as well as the established names whose work I already appreciate. My nerves are ridiculous. I'm uncomfortable in this world, but then, this isn't my world. It's Hinata's, and Hinata is the real reason I'm here.
A glance at my dainty, handmade gold wristwatch, also bought at the pier, confirms I have plenty of time to spare. It is seven forty-five, fifteen minutes until Inuzuka will be unveiling a new painting that will be displayed in the gallery and up for silent auction through the end of the week. Oh, how I'd love to have an Inuzuka's original, but they don't come cheap. Still, a girl can dream.
Excitement filters in with nerves as I rush toward the door. A young woman in a simple black dress holds it open for me and offers me a smile. "Welcome." I return the smile and enter the gallery, noting the nervous energy bouncing off the twenty something girl as I pass, an energy that seems to scream "I'm new and don't know what I'm doing." This isn't Hinata, who I know will be daringly bold and confident. In fact, the hostess brings out the schoolteacher in me, and I fight the urge to hug her and tell her she is doing fine. I'm a hugger. I got it from my mother, just like I did my love of art, only I wasn't talented with a brush as she had been.
The girl is saved from my mothering when the sound of a playing piano from a distant corner filters through the air and draws my attention to the main showroom. I am in awe. This isn't my first time visiting the four-thousand-square-foot wonder that is the Allure gallery, but it doesn't diminish my excitement at seeing it again.
The entry way opens to the main showroom of glistening white wonder, The walls are snow-white; the floor glistens like white diamonds. The shiny divider walls curve like abstract waves, and each of them is adorned with contrasting, eye-popping, colorful artwork.
I turn away from the showroom, attending to business before pleasure, and present my ticket to a hostess behind a podium. She is tall and elegant with long brown hair.
"Hinata?" I ask hopefully.
"No, sorry," she says.
"I'm Tenten."
She holds up a finger as she glances through the glass doors at an approaching customer she needs to attend. I wait patiently, hoping this young woman can connect me with Hinata. I listen attentively while she directs the new guest to a short stairway that leads toward the music and, apparently, the location where Kiba Inuzuka will be unveiling his masterpiece.
"Sorry for the interruption," Tenten finally says, giving me her full attention. "You were looking for Hinata. Unfortunately, she isn't attending tonight's event. Is there something I can help you with?"
Disappointment fills me. To miss an Inuzuka event is not something someone in Hinata's role is likely to do. I just want to know, for certain, that Hinata is safe. Painting myself as a stranger doesn't seem the way to do that.
"My sister's an old friend of Hinata's. She told me to be sure and say hello to her and pass along her new phone number. She seemed to think Hinata worked in big events like this one. She'll be disappointed I missed her."
"Oh, I hate that you missed her," Tenten says, looking genuinely concerned. "I'm not only new, but I also only work part-time, on an as-needed basis, so I don't hear much of what's going on internally, but I think Hinata took some personal time off. would know for certain."
"The manager here," she says. "He'll be tied up with the presentation soon, but I can introduce you to him afterward if you like?"
I nod. "Yes. Please. That would be perfect."
The piano stops abruptly. "They're about to start," Tenten informs me. "You should grab a seat while you still can. I'll be sure to help you connect with Naruto after the presentation."
A thrill shoots through me. "Thank you so much," I say, before I head toward the seating area.
I can't believe that I am about to see a Inuzuka original presented by Inuzuka himself.
A tuxedo-clad usher greets me at the bottom of the stairs and offers me some help finding a seat. And boy did I need help. There were at least two hundred chairs lined up in the front of a mini stage, set in front of a bay window that was essentially the entire wall, and almost every single chair was taken.
I squeeze into a center roll, between a man that has artsy rebel written all over him from longish spikes and dark raven hair to his jeans and a blazer, and a fifty-something woman who is more than a little irritated to have to let me pass. I can't help but notice the man is incredibly good-looking, and I've never been one to be easily impressed. I know too well that beauty is often only skin deep.
"You're late," the man says as if he knows me, a friendly smile touching his lips, his onyx eyes crinkling at the edges, mischief in their debts. I figure him to be about thirty-four. No. Thirty-two. I am good with ages and good at reading people. My kids at school often found that out when they were up to mischief. I smile back at the man, feeling instantly comfortable with him when, aside from my students, I'm normally quite reserved with strangers.
"And you forgot to pick up your tux, I see," I tease. In fact, I wonder how he pulled off getting in here dressed as he is.
He runs his hand over his dark locks, "At least I shaved."
My smile widens, and I intend to reply but a screech from a microphone fills the air. A man I recognize from photos as Kiba Inuzuka claims the stage and stands next to the sheet covering a display, no doubt his newest masterpiece. Suave and James Bond-esque in his tuxedo, he is the polar opposite of the man next to me.
"Welcome one and all," he says in a voice richly accented with Hispanic heritage, as is his work. " I am Kiba Inuzuka, and I thank you for sharing my love of art and children, on this grand evening. And so I give you what I call Chiquitos, or in English, Little Ones."
He tears away the sheet, and everyone gasps at the unexpected piece of art that is nothing like he's done before. Rather than a landscape, it is a portrait of three children, all of different nationalities, holding hands. It is a well-executed work appropriate for the occasion, though secretly, I had wished for a landscape where his brilliance shown.
The man next to me leans an elbow on his knee and lowers his voice. "What do you think?"
"It's perfect for the evening," I say cautiously.
"Oh, so diplomatic," he says with a low chuckle. "You wanted a landscape."
"He does beautiful landscapes," I say defensively.
He grins. "He should have done a landscape."
"And now," Kiba announces, "while the bedding begins, I'll be circulating the room, answering questions about my many works displayed tonight and hoping to have the pleasure of meeting many of you possible. Please feel free to walk to the stage for a closer look at Chiquitos."
Almost instantly, the crowd is standing.
"Are you going for a close-up?" I ask the man next to me.
"Not much on crowds," he said. "Nor Kiba's attempt at portraiture." He winks at me, "Don't stoke his ego when you meet him. It's big enough as it is." He starts moving down the row toward the exit. I stare after him, feeling this odd flutter in my stomach at his departure, curious about who he is.
I frown as I repeat part of our conversation in my mind.
Kiba. He'd called Kiba Inuzuka Kiba and spoken of his ego as if he knew him. It's too late to find out how he knows Kiba, and portrait or not, I am eager for an up-close look at the featured painting. I have not met Kiba yet and it is disappointing, but I am still thrilled at the opportunity to see his work.
Sometime later, I am enjoying a lingering walk through the gallery, exploring the full Inuzuka collection on display, when I spot a display for Sasuke Uchiha, whose work I studied in college. He, too, had once been a local, but I seem to remember his moving to Paris. Excitedly, I head toward his work. His specialties are urban landscapes-mostly of San Francisco, both past and present-and portraits of real subjects with such depth and soul they steal my breath away.
I join an elderly couple inside the small room, where they debate over which of several landscapes to purchase. Unable to stop myself, I join in. "I think you should take them all."
The man scoffs. "Don't go giving her ideas or you'll both put me in the poorhouse. She gets one for above the fireplace."
"Stingy man," The gray-haired woman says, shoving his arm playfully and then eying me.
"So tell me, honey," She motions between two pictures. "Which do you think is a better conversation piece, of these two?"
I study the two choices, both black-and-white, though Uchiha often uses color. One is a downtown shot of San Francisco in the midst of hurricane-like weather. The other is of the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in clouds, the skyline of the city peeking out from behind it.
"A tough choice," I say thoughtfully. "Both have a dark edgy feel to them, and both have the 'wow' factor." I indicate the stormy downtown scene. "I happen to know that one depicts the impact Hurricane Nora had on the city back in 1997. To me, that makes for a conversation piece, and a little bit of history to boot, right there in your living room."
"You are so right, dear," the woman says, her eyes lighting up.
"This is the one." She casts her husband an expectant look.
"It's perfect, I have to have it."
"Then have it you shall," her husband declares.
I smile at the woman's joy, but not without a bit of art envy. I would love to be going home with the piece, as she will be tonight.
"I understand you had a question for me," a male voice says, pulling my attention toward the display entryway where a man with neatly trimmed blond hair stands. He is tall and confident, an air of ownership about him. And his eyes-they are the most unique ocean blue I've ever seen.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he says, "the gallery manager. And it looks like I owe you more than an answer to whatever your question is. It appears I need to thank you for assisting my customers." He glances at the couple. "I take it you've made a selection?"
"Indeed we have," the husband says, clearly pleased to have his wife make a decision. "We'd like to take it home with us if possible."
"Excellent," he says, "If you give me a moment, I'll have it packaged for you."
He motions for me to walk with him, and I shake my head.
"I'm in no rush. Help them with their purchase, and you can find me later."
He studies me a bit too intently, those blue eyes of his rich with interest, and I am suddenly self-conscious. He is, without a doubt, classically handsome by anyone's standards, but there is also something raw and sexual about this man, something almost predatory about him.
"Alright then," he says softly, "I'll find you soon." It isn't a statement that alludes to a double meaning, but yet, I feel one there. His gaze shifts to the couple. "Lets go ring you up." The couple thanks me for their help and hurry after Naruto.
The minute they are gone, the minute Naruto Uzumaki is out of sight, I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding and shake myself inwardly. And not just because of the way his eyes had assessed me so... so what? Intimately? Surely not. I still have this overactive-imagination thing going on from reading the journals. I do wonder if he is the 'he' from the journals. He certainly has the animal magnetism Hinata's words painted him with. But then, so does Kiba Inuzuka. Good grief, I'm making myself crazy.
A staff member interrupts me before I can go on another "crazy" thinking spree, and removes the couple's purchase from the display. I force myself to stop over analyzing and relax, basking in the solitude as I discover Sasuke Uchiha's newest work.
"You like Uchiha?" comes another male voice, this one familiar.
I turn to find the man who's sat next to me in the presentation standing in the doorway. I give a quick, eager nod.
"Very much, I wish they had some of his portraits , but his urban landscapes are magnificent. You?"
He leans against the wall. "I hear he doesn't have an overinflated ego. That score points with me."
I tilt my head and study him, relaxing into the easy conversation. "Why are you here if you don't like Kiba?"
Naruto Uzumaki appears in the doorway. "I see you didn't venture far," he says to me and then eyes the other man. "Don't tell me you're pimping your own work at Kiba's event?" He glances at me. "Was he pimping his own work?"
I gape. "Wait. His own work?" I shift my gaze to my nameless new friend, who looks nothing like the Sasuke Uchiha I've seen photos of. "Who are you exactly?"
His mouth quirks at the edges. "The man with one red shoe." And with that, he turns and walks away.
I shake my head. "What? What does that mean?" I turn to Naruto. "What does that mean? The man with one red shoe?"
"Who knows," Naruto says, his lips thinning in disapproval. "Sasuke has a twisted sense of humor. Thankfully, it doesn't show up on the canvas."
My jaw goes slack. "Wait. Are you telling me that was Sasuke Uchiha?" I rack my brain over the pictures of him I've seen and I remember him differently. Do I have his image confused with another?
"That's Sasuke," he confirms. "And as you can see, he has an odd way about him. He was standing in his own display room and didn't even tell you who he was." His hands settle on his hips. "Listen Tenten tells me you... I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?"
"Sakura," I supply. "Sakura Haruno."
"Sakura," he repeats, his tone low, as if he was trying it out on his tongue. Seconds pass, and the small display area seems to get smaller before he adds, "Tenten was right. Hinata is on leave of absence."
His tone shifts back to all business now, and I wonder if I imagine the raspier tone. I am, after all, excelling at making myself crazy.
"I see," I say. "Is there a way to reach her?"
"If you figure out a way let me know," he says. "She took a two week cruise with some rich guy she was dating and that turned into the entire summer. I agreed because she's good at her job and the clients love her. But depending on interns who don't know what they're doing is killing me. I'm going to have to get someone in here to cover for her who actually knows hat she is doing."
"The entire summer," I repeat uncomfortably, focusing on the oddity that represents. All summer is a long time for a working girl t leave her job behind. And Naruto's comment about the "rich guy" hit me just as wrong for some reason, though it could have been merely his frustration over Hinata's extended leave. Or maybe... could he be jealous over this rich man? My brows dip. "Leaving you high and dry like this-that doesn't sound like the responsible Hinata my sister described."
"People aren't always what they seem," he says and motions toward Sasuke Uchiha's displayed art. "The art does not always mimic the artist. You never know the real person until you slide beneath their surface."
Or look in their dresser drawer, I think guilty. But Hinata didn't seem like someone to run out on her job to me. She loved her job. Then again, I might be wrong. As seduced as Hinata had been by this world she'd created, she'd been scared, too. And I want to know why more than ever. What created such obsession, such fear?
A sudden burn for answers, a need to leave here tonight with something more than I came with overcomes me, and before I can stop myself I blurt, "I can cover Hinata for the rest of the summer. I'm a teacher so I'm on break. I have a masters of arts from the art institute and a bachelors in business. I interned for two years at the Museum of Modern Art, and I know art. Test m if you like."
His eyes narrow a fraction, the silence crackling between us for several long seconds. "You're hired, Sakura Haruno. You can start on Monday. I'll let you enjoy the rest of your evening." He lowers his voice. "Then you'll be all mine." He turns and walks away.
I blink, stunned. He'd just hired me, but he hadn't even asked me one single question. I hadn't asked about hours or pay. I inhale a sharp breath. I'd come here to find Hinata, to make sure she is alive and well. Instead, I am about to be Hinata, or rather, be marketing director for the gallery. So I can find Hinata, I tell myself. Something has happened to Hinata, and I have to prove it. That's why I'm here, no other reason.
So I will be posting up a new chapter asap!
BTW! I feel kinda bad that Naruto is out of character, he is playing the role of a very important person.
Also there will be quite a bit of naruhina and plenty of sasusaku later on in the chapters.
I do hope you guys are enjoying the story!