Midsummer Afterglow: Hey guys! Here is a quick morning update. I have to get back to working on Economics. :( Wish me luck! Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
Drip. Drip. Drip.
A sound from the kitchen sink resounded over and over in my ears. I looked up from my laptop screen and over my shoulder, from my seat at the table, at Neji, who at the moment was thoughtfully sorting through a pile of our favorite movies.
"How long have you had that leak?" I asked him curiously. To be frank, the constant noise was eating away at my nerves.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Looking up from his work, Neji locked eyes with me and stared at me with his eyebrows raised in question.
"About a week now; why?"
I turned back to my laptop, avoiding his gaze. Had it already been an entire week since I'd been here?
Usually Neji would come to my place, but lately, my father had taken to entertaining his business acquaintances at our home and with so many strangers frequenting it, it just wasn't safe for us.
It was a tad bit unnerving that my twisted mind found the idea of being intimate with Neji, while people were dangerously close, exciting. Somehow the rush of that entire scenario began to play in my head without warning, and a generous heat rose into my cheeks, turning them a shade of rose pink.
I was glad Neji was unaware of how ridiculously close I was to mentally stripping him of all his dignity.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"I was just thinking that we should get out tonight. I'd hate to have to listen to your leaky sink all night," I told him honestly.
Resting her head on his shoulder, Hinata noticed that Neji's every intake of breath was subtly stronger than the one before it. That routine rhythm soothed her. Making an effort, she began to breathe along with Neji, wishing for nothing more but to be one with him in every possible way.
A cold wind buffeted the trees surrounding them. It wasn't the most peaceful of evenings but nonetheless Hinata found herself solely focused on the man beside her.
There were scant amount of times that she had a chance to really observe Neji. Back when they first began to take a mutual interest in one another, things had moved from one step to the next so quickly that before she knew it, the two of them were spending more time pleasuring each other physically than really connecting on a mental or emotional level.
Hinata wondered what it was she loved about Neji. No, love was perhaps the wrong word. There were things she admired about Neji and then things she might have wished to change if she had any control over them; but the one definite aspect of Neji, which to this day continued to draw her in mercilessly, was the fact that he was hopelessly devoted.
Hardly any men were these days; an image of her father came to mind.
A soft giggle escaped her lips as Hinata mused over the idea of comparing Neji's faithfulness to that of a dog's. But, in so many ways, that comparison alone was deeply touching.
Hinata had never been allowed to have a dog but she had known people who were and although she did not experience it first hand, she could easily tell that the bond between a dog and its owner radiated unconditional love.
Humans were unpredictable but animals, they lived by following their instincts and isn't that practice similar to say, following one's heart?
A/N: To be continued...