When Hinata woke up the following day, she remembered that she had to work at the flower shop that Sunday.
Like, today, right now.
So it was in a hurry that she got out of bed, running hurriedly – not quite literally, but a little bit – to the bathroom.
But then she realized she had to go to the toilet first, so she did that.
Then she cleaned herself, and got out of the bathroom.
It was only when she began pushing her legs in her mom jeans that she realized she did not know which time it was.
So she grabbed her phone, slowing down a bit, and sighed under her breath when she saw the numbers on the screen. It was only nine in the morning. She had to be there at eleven and a half, no need to rush. She spent an average of thirty minutes in public transports and walked for some more, but the time spent on her feet was like dust at the floor. It was that little and insignificant.
Now more aware of her surroundings and place in the time, she got to the kitchen, looking for something to fill her empty stomach. She didn't like eating too much in the morning, it made her nauseous, even more so when she had to take public transports. Especially buses. They were the worst. Her enemies. If she spent more than half an hour in a bus, it was a straight way to vomit world. She had to take two buses to arrive at Iruka's shop, but at least she got to take a break in between and breathe an excessive amount of fresh air. About ten minutes in each of them was acceptable. Most of the ride was spent listening to music or watching lunch packing videos on her phone, so the constant shaking and sharp turns was bearable.
She picked a banana from the bowl at the corner of the corner in which she kept her fruits. Peeling it off and stuffing a little amount in her mouth, she searched for a gourde and put some water on the fire to heat it up. Might as well make some tea to drink it on the go.
Spreading the closet doors wide, she picked up a glass container filled with tea bags of different flavors, opened it up and drowned her hand in the heap of herbs. Her fingers swallowed in the sea of white and grayish green, she picked a random tea bag out of the container and read the inscription at the end of the string attached to it. Red fruits. This was going to smell amazing once sank in the hot water.
Hinata always brought lunch with her. Even at university. She just felt like making her own food gave some kind of reward to her ego. It rewarded her for being able to wake up sooner and make her own things and eat it proudly. Whenever she opened the box in which she stuffed vegetables and meat and eggs and stuff, it was like a lullaby in her head. I made this, she told herself. I had enough mental and physical strength to do this, and I'm proud of it.
It made her productive enough for the rest of the day.
Of course there were some days when she didn't have too much time, woke up late, had no mental energy or no motivation whatsoever. She bought pizza, greasy food, stuffed sandwiches and ate everything with friends when it happened. Mouth full of these ingredients, of oil and sugar, she felt horribly glutted, throat stuffed with food. It was at these moments that she hated her lack of control.
It was at these moments that she felt incredibly guilty.
And it made her want to puke it all away.
Her psychotherapist always told her that keeping a regular routine through the day and a consistent sleep pattern was the key for a stable mental state. So she nodded, promised herself to at least try. And so she did.
Even if it took a really long time to put into practice, simple tasks like washing the dishes, brushing her teeth, taking a shower – all of these things helped. As the days and months passed, she added easy things to do through the day to her routine. Sketching a little bit, packing her lunch, talking to someone through texts or face to face, doing a bit of exercising.
Yes, all of these habits brought her strained limbs together, and not keeping that said routine would tangle the strings keeping her safe.
For today's lunch, it was omelet with crab sticks, the remains of yesterday's salad and some rice with seeds. She was going to be full once finished with her meal, but at least it would bring breakfast and dinner together, so she wouldn't eat much tonight.
She still had a bit of a problem managing three meals a day, but she was definitely getting it more and more. Water too. Yes. Water too.
Everything seemed to be doing great these days. She got the routine done from a to z without too much disturbance, spent time relaxing a bit, and even got to spend some great amount of time with Naruto.
Speaking of Naruto, she still had to venture more in the expanse of his mod. But that would be for later, as work was calling for her.
Sometimes she felt like something was not going right when everything was going right. It might sound weird, might seem incomprehensible. But the numbness once constantly present now missing, tearing off with care and self acceptance – it was like she missed it. Like feeling happy wasn't okay.
Like it wasn't what she deserved.
She completely forgot that she was supposed to work today as her weekends are mostly free of any duties. Unless she asks for supplementary hours, which is rarely the case. Iruka had asked her if she could take a hold of the flower shop for the rest of the day. He would be here for the major part of the morning but she would have to carry on and close the shop. She thought about it for a little bit, before concluding that it wouldn't do her any bad. She didn't have anything to do, and she hated laying lazily on top of her bed.
It made the brain work too hard. It made memories come back.
But with Naruto and his cartridge and his eyes and hair and cute smile and expressive eyebrows – she ended up forgetting. Well not for so long, as she was now up and ready to face the outside world.
Usually, Sunday's were filled with Kiba's loud laughing and Akamaru's barking. She enjoyed spending time with him as he was very easy going. Even thought her personality seemed to be on the polar opposite of his, through time and patience, they learned to balance each other. Kiba was sometimes a little bit off track, making rude jokes and fooling around a bit much, and Hinata was a little bit too thin skinned and sensitive. They learned their flaws and chose to be careful before entering certain subjects.
And of course the flow of time matured them both – Kiba mostly.
They would meet up at the dog park, maybe grab a drink on the way there, ruffle Akamaru's hair and talk about random things. Week stuff, work ahead and funny stories. Kiba would most likely lead the conversation, rambling and rambling, and Hinata would listen quietly, sipping on whatever drink she bought. It was okay, because she didn't feel pressured to talk. She knew that she could just stay beside him and watch dogs run and jump. She was that relaxed around him. It had taken some time to adjust and understand his out-going nature, but once firmly settled, their relationship only bloomed.
Other than these days, she didn't meet up with Kiba that much. He was working full time and only got so little time for himself and his hobbies. He had an electric guitar, but wasn't able to play it much now since he was busy. She kind of missed it. When they were still in high school, he would play silently next to her, cords ringing and fingers running. It varied from the soft sounds of Sakura's ukulele and Hanabi's piano. And when she was angry, the harshness of it would mingle with her raged feelings and somehow, it would calm the horrible mess in her head.
When he was focused on his guitar, Kiba didn't talk much. Furrowed brows, bangs falling on his eyes and lips forming a slight pout. She liked watching him when he was serious and calm. It was a different Kiba from the one she loved seeing laughing and joking, but she still liked that part of him. It brought a smile to her face.
So yeah, Sundays at dog parks were great.
She put the used cooked utensils in the sink, the food and drink in her bag and headed to the entryway. She would probably wash them once home.
Ah no. Not probably. She will.
Indeed.
Fixing her hair in front of a mirror in the entrance, she proceeded to sit on the crimson armchair just next to her. Grabbing her shoes, she pushed her feet into the right pair and did the same for the other one. She grasped her keys, pushed her bag to her shoulder, opened the door. And just like that she was out.
Waiting in the cold, under the roof of the bus station, she listened to some music, earbuds clinging to her ears. She would go for Eddy Kim's songs this morning. Calm, relaxing. Korean artists had some fine works hidden in the abyss of their genres. She enjoyed digging into the diverse library that Korean music was, trying to find that one pearl which would seduce her with soft melodies and slow rhythms. She just found that there was something serene about these tracks.
Few minutes passed. The air was cold and it threatened her on top of her thick layers. October was already chilling and the sun disappeared gradually as nights augmented in numbers. But her brown turtle neck and beige sweater would never let her down.
She hopped in the bus when he presented itself to her, greeted the bus conductor with a polite 'Hello' before taking a seat. When she had the opportunity, she always took the seat right behind the conductor, to the left. She could watch the scenery from the window more easily this way.
And she wouldn't think about the eyes of the other passengers on her.
This way, all alone, with no one in front or next to her, she could relax for a moment.
The ride went well. Hinata's buses both arrived on time, and the thirty minutes passed quite fast with the soft guitar cords echoing in her earbuds.
Upon entering the shop, the light sound of a bell rang. Iruka at the counter looked her way, smiled and greeted her.
"Hello Hinata, I was waiting for you."
"Hello Mister Umino." She beamed back at him, closing the door behind her. "Am I late perhaps?" Eyelids batting, she arranged a hair strand behind her ear.
"Absolutely not. I think that you're even a bit early." He laughed. "You're so cautious, I'm sure you'd get out fifteen minute before your regular time just to not be late." He added, amusement leaking from his voice, lips slightly up in the corners.
Hinata giggled nervously, hands gripping the hem of her sweater. "Ah no, I just had time ahead of myself so I thought that I could maybe get out earlier... It's not too bad."
"You're right." He sighed. "Naruto's laziness might have washed off on me." He chuckled lightly.
The mention of his name tickled her ears.
She got into the storage room, grabbed her apron and tied a tight knot behind her back. Dark brown now surrounding the front part of her body, she joined Iruka at the counter.
"I'm ready." Hinata secured her hair lowly at the back of her head. Not too tight, not too loose. Just enough for it to be firmly clasped but also let her neck move freely.
"So, I leave this to you then. I know you'll do a great job, like always." He took his own apron off, the cloth falling from his shoulders to land in his hands. "If you need anything, I'm just up. Don't hesitate and knock on the door."
Hinata nodded, lips pursed. She licked working at the flower shop because the people at the door wouldn't pile up, and busy days were not only very rare, but also not as busy as you'd think. Most of the time, the clients were cute women searching for that one set of plants that would make their apartment liven up. It was also elders looking for flowers to take care of, the voice of their own children now lost in the world of adulthood. Sometimes people in couple would search for that specific bouquet that would bring sparkles in the eyes of their lover. And in worst case scenario it was flowers for the dead. Hinata didn't like making bouquets for these kind of occasions. It made flowers dull and sad.
She didn't like farewells.
Other than that, working at the flower shop was a relief to the soul. Getting to learn about color coding related to flowers, which one represent what, which one is suited for what. It's just extra knowledge and extra peace for the heart. The interior of the shop is just filled with green and white and red with sparks of yellow and orange, and all of these different colors making Hinata's eyes gleam with love. The kind of love that grows with experience and time.
Iruka gave her little instructions, one what he had left to do and what he did actually do. Combinations to arrange, designs to rethink of, all in one sketchbook on top of the wood counter. She nodded, licking her lips, and watched his silhouette disappear in the stairs.
So time passed. Some clients came in, looked at the flowers and plants. Some bought, some got out without saying much beside a greeting and a 'goodbye'. Some asked for advice, and Hinata answered back, putting her knowledge to practice. With time and perseverance, her stuttering and fear of the unknowns washed off. She spoke with more confidence in herself and her abilities. It took time, but now she felt comfortable.
She was now sitting on the tall stool behind the counter. Legs dangling and mechanical pencil in hand, she was sketching on the yellowy paper of the sketchbook. Trying to get a certain combination of flowers work out. Sparks of bouquet ideas in her mind.
"Hinata?"
Hinata looked up from her unfinished sketch, someone calling her name. One pretty voice calling her name.
"Naruto." She stood up. Why did she stand up? She just felt like standing up. "Hello." She felt like she was short on air.
"Hehe, hi." He approached her, gap nearly closing. He leaned on the counter, crossed arms near her. Did he want to make her faint? With that smirk of his. "I didn't think that I'd see ya there. But it's kinda logic since you're the only one who works with ma dad so, yeah. I don't know why that didn't click first." He licked his lips, looking at her.
Was he a demon ? Yes, he was testing her. She was going to hell soon. Tongues were out of league.
"Y-Yes. I-I um, I'm replacing Iruka for the rest of the day." Her hands got lost in the hem of her apron, tangling and untangling hurriedly. Ah, now she was all flustered. She couldn't even hold his stare.
Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side, trying to grasp her pale eyes. She was avoiding his gaze, he didn't like that. He looked down at the counter. In front of her was a sketchbook filled with scribbles and pretty sketches of flowers. He picked it up, inspecting it.
Hinata looked back at him and blushed upon seeing what he was doing. Her sketches were messy, him seeing them was embarrassing.
"Ah, these are just sketches, they're very messy" Her eyebrows went up slightly, lightly worried. "Um, please don't mind them too much." She inspected the expression on his face. Very serious. His eyes were focused on the gray strokes, varying from very curved to very harsh and straight. Scribbles next to the sketches indicated the name of the flowers, which colors constituted the bouquet and other information he did not particularly pay attention to.
She looked at the ear pieces at his ear lobes. Only the left ones as his right profile was hidden from her sight. All silvery, one with a black cross dangling from it, and another covered with spikes. Just on top of them were strands of spiky blond hair, striking, facing different directions each, doing their own thing on top of his head. She wondered if they were soft to the touch, if her hand would drown in the cloud of the sun. She blushed at the thought.
Next to the silver earrings were three lines surrounding two thirds of his cheek, a little transparency making them mingle with the melanin of his skin. Was the skin smooth there? Or did the thin lines create bumps or even creases? Were they scars from a past event in his life or was he born that way? Would she ever find out? That was the right question to ask.
At the bottom center of his face was a pair of pink crescents. Lips full, quite wide, not very plump, but asking for touch. Asking for attention, it seems. Seeking closeness, like magnets.
On top of them, a very straight nose. Curved at the end, shining lightly. His chin, not too prominent, round around the edges, was covered with fair strands of blond. Slight, moderate in amount, not very discernible but pleasing to the eyes once found. It was a contrast to the very brown shade of his smooth skin. Like honey glazed on a soft doughnut, his skin reflected the sunlight coming from the window display. The short hairs at his chin in the sunshine now seemed to be shining slightly. Fairer, whiter.
In him was kept a kind of prettiness, a kind of handsomeness so harsh she could feel her skin burning from the simple sight of his.
Of his whole. In it was hidden a gem.
She wanted to find it on her own.
Naturally, Naruto felt her gaze. Her eyes were burning with a white fire he could feel from his spot, so of course his skin was burning. He was just kind of amused. He really wanted to stare back at her, but he knew she was going to look away and blush in somewhat varying shades of pink and red. Not that that kind of sight was not pleasant, but he wanted her to check him out just a little bit more.
Just a little bit more.
A tad bit.
His eyes involuntarily stared back, digging into the lavender of her orbs.
And the air was still for a moment.
And their breaths fell still for a moment.
Naruto opened his mouth slightly, trying to figure something out. "Your sketches are cute." Yeah, he said that her sketches were cute, not amazing, because he mixed up okay? He thought she was cute, but then his lines got crossed, and yeah.
She seemed surprised for a moment. For like, four seconds, before she blushed and looked away. "Aha, n-not really, I mean they're kind of very messy, but um, thanks I guess?" She looked back at him, eyes unsure.
He smiled back at her. Fondly. "Sure."
And then they just stood here, eyes in eyes, blue melting in white and lavender. It felt great.
Suddenly the door opened and a customer got in. That startled them out of their reverie, and Hinata muttered a slight "I'll be back" to him before approaching the woman that just blew their intimacy bubble. If Naruto could growl, he'd have. This atmosphere was too beautiful to be lost by the sole presence of a random individual.
He leaned back on the counter, elbows on the flat wooden structure, and watched silently Hinata's figure. She was smiling shyly, giving advice to the woman on which bouquet would be better for her, which combination of color, of flowers. If all roses were better or different set of different types. All that stuff that Naruto didn't care about, but thought was pretty cool to know about. Hinata sure as hell had that kind of artistic ability he didn't have.
What he produced was either too dull or too messy. Not okay for the outside world. Better to stay in the depths of his imagination.
But she, she was made of something. Something very special, a sequence of pastel colors that brought warm to his heart. He didn't know her. No. He didn't know much about her. But from what he knew, this person was a source of comfort, a source of... happiness, perhaps.
He wondered if he was too much in it. Maybe he was too much in it. Too early, maybe.
But it wasn't unpleasant, so it wouldn't hurt.
It wouldn't hurt right?
Hinata came back once the woman had left with her bouquet in hand. She was surprised to have his full attention on her, stare so hard and intense, she just stood there, breath halting. Such perusal dedicated to her sole existence... She wondered what was so interesting about her, attracting such attention from him.
Ahh, she was sure that she was blushing right now. His gaze was just too much to handle.
Fingers fidgeting in front of her chest, she approached him slowly. She had to find something to say. But as she looked up at him, her breath fell short. Deep blue swallowing her whole, she wondered when she was going to faint.
"You look great with your hair like that."
And Hinata died just here.
Of course Naruto smirked proudly when he saw her face go crimson again. This was just too nice. Teeth showing, he waited for her to answer back, wanting to hear her flustered voice. Damn, he was enjoying himself too much here.
"A-Ah, r-really? I thought that my cheeks were, um, too round and puffy so yeah, I, never figured it would look good." Her eyes looked at everywhere but him, and her fingers were trying to find something to grab onto. Cloth, hair strands anything. "This, um, hairstyle is only for work I guess." She giggled nervously.
Naruto crooked his eyebrows. "Eh? But you have a pretty face. You shouldn't always hide it. Even thought you look great already with your hair freed, when your cheeks are showing like that it's cute." He watched her face travel from horror to shock to utter embarrassment before laughing out loud, hand on his belly. She was way too cute. "What? It's true thought!" Laughing again, he couldn't control himself.
Hinata hid her face behind her hands. What to do... "Naruto, I should thank you but, you s-sound like you're making fun of me..." Her face was indeed burning. You could probably cook an egg on it. That was how hot she was at the moment.
"A-Ah? Really? I-I didn't mean that! I was just complimenting you!" Naruto now seemed worried. She lowered her hands, looking at him through her bangs.
"No, it's okay. You're kind, thank you. I just felt, embarrassed, from that sudden attention."
Now it was Naruto's turn to turn pink, not as much as her, but hey, still. She was cute, he had to blush at such pretty sight. Was this a ping pong game somehow? Blushing repeatedly for no particular reason?
"A-Anyway! Are you g-going somewhere, somehow?..." Hinata asked, leaning slightly on the counter next to him.
"Ah, yeah. I'm going back to my apartment." Naruto said it so casually, it was like he didn't mind much. Hinata's mouth formed a slight 'oh' and her eyes became somewhat bigger from surprise. That meant that she wouldn't see him much around then.
When Naruto was staying at Iruka's apartment, she happened to meet him at different places. Call it fate, or pure hazardous instances, only the heavens above knew. But when he was back at his own place, she never saw that special shade of blond anywhere in town.
Somehow she found herself searching for him in those moments.
"But you know," He got closer to her. "Now that you have my number, you won't miss me too much." He winked before laughing out loud. Okay okay, he was messing around too much. "Hehe, sorry sorry." Hinata was pouting slightly, eyebrows furrowed, but less red. She was beginning to get used to his teasing.
"W-Well, I will indeed text you once I start playing the game you modded." She bit her lip, eyes hesitant.
"Great." He stood here for a moment, eyeing her, not leaving her face and petite figure. He didn't really notice, but now that they were close, gap very restrained, he realized that she was very tiny next to him. Why was everything about her so cute ? This was very bad. Very bad. For the heart mainly.
"Hey." It brought her attention back at him. "You're working 'til the end of the afternoon, right?" She nodded, agreeing. He continued. "Then, did you eat? I mean, lunch. Would be a bummer if you worked on an empty stomach." He shifted his center of gravity, hips now higher to the left. He crossed his arms, and that made him a little bit more imposing. Perhaps he did not realize it, but from Hinata's perspective, it was very obvious.
"I brought something with me, to eat if I feel hungry, don't worry." She smiled lightly. That was cute. Was he worried about her state? She wondered. That would be... great. To know that he cared. "Plus I don't feel hunger that much, so I guess it's okay."
"Mmh, great then."
And the air fell still.
There wasn't much to say, but so much to discover. So much to find about each other, so much to experience and share. But they just felt speechless here, embraced in an unknown atmosphere with no possible adjective linked to it. It felt special, just standing here, close, distance very insignificant. Somehow, even thought they only got to find out about one another not so long ago, their newborn connection felt special.
They both thought that they didn't want to lose that special connection.
"I better get going." He said, scratching the back of his head, giggling lightly. He wasn't particularly late, and he wouldn't be as he didn't even say to Shikamaru that he'd come back today. But traffic was kind of a pain in the ass and as the hours passed, it only got worse.
"Oh, um, yes. Please drive safely, and I um, will text you hopefully?" She followed him to the door at the entryway.
"Yeah! I look forward to it." He grinned, and opened the door. "Okay, see ya then!"
"Bye."
She waved back at his disappearing silhouette.
And just like that he was gone again. Unable to reach, far in the horizon, melting in the setting and somehow never coming back. It seemed that the sole presence of his being had the ability to fill the shop with vibrant colors. Colors that were invisible to the eyes but so clear to the heart. The kind that make flowers grow in your veins and fill your belly with silly butterflies. It felt really weird. It was like warm water was being poured into her, and it felt really great.
It felt so great.
But for a moment, Hinata wondered if this way okay.
This sudden attachment to a pair of eyes and sunny smile.
She wondered if it was okay.