Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters.

Chapter 7

Between blurred memories, laughing and tears, Sakura found herself waking up in an unfamiliar area. The scent was all too familiar as she rolled her head into the pillows, inhaling deeply and relishing in it.

The moment she opened her eyes, she squeezed them shut and ran her fingers through her hair. The comforter that hung loosely over her body was thick and warm and as she began to pull it over her head, another wave of that familiar scent came rushing through her sinuses.

With the blanket pulled over her head, she peeked out from a small hole and began to scan her surroundings. The walls were white, minimal decorations hung and lined the room, yet it still looked entirely elegant. Sakura blinked back the oncoming headache, fighting the hangover that threatened to come if she emerged her head into the light.

When she rolled over to the other side, she found a sliding door that led out to the balcony. The door had been opened, and the screen door closed, allowing fresh air to flow in through it. It was cool, but refreshing - much like the glass of ice water on the nightstand next to the bed.

Memories from Naruto's party started to come back to her after a few gulps of water. Taking shot after shot with Naruto and Ino, shot gunning cheap beer, laughter, joking, lots of hugs, crying, and finally, calling Sasuke.

Her heart began to race the second she tried to remember what exactly it was she said to him. Everything was jostled together and none of it made sense, no matter how hard she tried to remember. Without moving too fast, Sakura began to get out of the bed. When she sat up, her head instantly began to pound.

The moment she was sitting on the side of the bed was when she noticed she was no longer in her clothes from the night before, but in the clothes that she had packed in her bag.

Her hand came to caress her forehead as she put her feet to the cool floor and stood from the side of the bed. Her foot falls were anything but quiet as she walked towards the screen door and took a look outside. She felt instantly sick when she realized that she was up incredibly high, probably the seventh floor of a building.

"I see you're awake, finally."

The voice from behind her startled her and when she turned, she no longer felt her head throbbing, but her heart.

"Where are we?"

Sasuke took a moment to reply and instead of answering her immediately, he beckoned for her to follow. "Breakfast is ready."

When Sakura exited the room, she noticed how plain and original his home was. She realized that it was a condo unit on the western side of town, away from the residential homes that resided on the outskirts and closer to downtown.

Sasuke pointed at a stool at the counter and she sat. A fresh glass of ice water along with a plate of egg whites, hashbrowns and bacon had been placed in front of her and Sasuke took a seat to her right with his own plate of food.

"Where's my clothes? And phone? And-"

"Eat first, then we'll talk," he ordered before taking a bite. It was apparent that he wasn't in a good mood due to the tone he took.

After shoveling a few bites of hashbrowns and eggs into her mouth, she washed it down with water and grabbed a piece of bacon. It wasn't too soft, and it wasn't too crunchy; it was perfect. The grease even tasted amazing when she swallowed and her body craved more, but she tuned into Sasuke's voice the second he began to talk.

"Now that you've got some food in your body," he started, "how're you feeling?"

"Rough," she answered honestly.

"Figured. You knocked out the second you got in the car."

He took a drink of his water and sat back in his chair. "Your phone and bag are on the sofa. Ino texted you asking where you went," his eyes turned to her. "I told her you were fine and you'd call her in the morning."

Sakura nodded as she grabbed her glass of water. There was one question she hadn't asked that she wanted to, but it just wouldn't come out. The more she eyed him, the deeper his frown grew.

"What?"

"It's nothing," she lied.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?" Sasuke asked as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

Sakura frowned back. "Did we uh - sleep in the same bed?"

Sasuke didn't answer, only looked away while a gentle blush flashed over his cheeks and bridge of his nose. Sakura felt like she could vomit now once the anxiety set in, but when he looked back in her direction, he refused to make eye contact.

"No. You slept there because you said it was 'so comfy and you'd never get off, ever!'" The change in his voice when he mocked her made Sakura blush but also laugh. He had actually mocked her with as high of a pitched voice he could make.

"That's great," Sakura groaned as she set her glass down and put her face in her hands. "Just great. And my clothes? How did I get changed into these?"

"You changed yourself. It's apparent, considering your shirt is on backwards and inside-out."

Sasuke's low laugh caught her attention and the moment she lifted her head from her hands, she caught a glimpse of such a soft smile that it fooled her for a moment.

When he got up and grabbed their plates, he began to scrape whatever food was left over and wash them. This gave Sakura a moment to look around and notice just how tidy everything in the dining room and kitchen was. The spices were organized alphabetically on the spice rack, books placed in order on his book shelf, counters dusted, floors swept and waxed, and even the throw pillows on the sofas were perfectly square.

"Do you live here by yourself?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered over the running water.

"Does your family live around here?"

"They did once upon a time. We all moved when I was young, but I came back for school and decided to teach here."

The more he talked, the more Sakura felt content with just sitting on her stool with her elbows on the counter and her head in her hands, listening to him talk. She felt childish, honestly. Infatuated with a man who's a few years older than her and he's her homeroom teacher.

"Why didn't you move back to be closer to your family?"

Sasuke's eyes peered up from the pan that he was washing and he smirked. "You and your questions, Sakura. I wish you would ask these many questions in class, sometimes."

She felt her lips purse at his statement and finally got off of her seat. She felt horribly disgusting from the night before and decided that it was probably time to go home.

"Do you mind taking me home?"

Sasuke didn't answer; he continued to wash the remainder of the dishes and when he finished, he casually leaned against the counter with his hands balancing him.

"You don't want to shower?"

The question frightened her, but when she realized what he had meant, she laughed slightly.

"Oh, sure. If you don't mind…"

Sasuke walked towards her, close enough that she could inhale his scent and feel intoxicated by that cinnamon and smoke smell. He looked entirely too comfortable to be around her when she was like this, and as he walked back around with her bag in his hand, she took it with ease.

"The bathroom is right across the hall from my bedroom. There's towels in the cabinet to the right of the sink," he stated with gleaming eyes.

Sakura nodded and began towards the bathroom. Once inside, she locked the door as quickly as possible, her feminine hormones getting the best of her. She shuddered at the feeling but when she suddenly saw her reflection in the mirror, she had to hold back a scream.

How could she look so horrible, yet Sasuke actually took the time to make her breakfast and talk to her as though she looked like a decent human being?

She groaned into her hands before peeling the clothes from her body. The water came shooting out of the shower head, and in an instant, the room began to fill up with steam.

This had to be a dream, this couldn't be real life.

.

.

.

"Have you done any of your homework this weekend?" Sasuke asked the moment Sakura walked out of the bathroom.

Now she really had a headache thinking about all the homework that she didn't do. And to make matters worse, her sensei was standing in the same room as her.

"Nope," she answered honestly.

His eyes widened slightly before looking to the television. Sakura ran her fingers through her wet hair and began to walk over to the sofa that Sasuke stood next to.

"I have a comb you can borrow…" he muttered underneath his breath. Sakura glanced over at him with a smile on her face, a small laugh sounding throughout the room.

"May I borrow it?"

He was gone and back within a matter of seconds, his hand extended out to her and handing over the simple black comb. Now it all my sense, why his hair normally looked tousled in such a neat manner in the mornings - he used this comb.

He was seated on the opposite end of the sofa now, the remote still in his hand as he watched the actors play out the scene on the television. Sakura ran the comb through her silky locks and every other stroke, she caught a scent of the cinnamon scented shampoo that Sasuke had in his shower. She figured he wouldn't mind if she used it.

"Much better, thank you!" Sakura gave him a kind smile as she handed his comb back. He muttered something underneath his breath, his eyes still on the television.

The room fell into a comfortable silence while Sakura began to focus on what was going on on the television. She found it slightly amusing, watching the two characters that she assumed had been brothers bicker and argue back and forth. It wasn't until they finished an entire episode that she glanced over at him and was met by his onyx eyes.

"I'm ready to go whenever," she reminded him. As much as she wanted to stay, she didn't want to intrude on his home and privacy. His response was what shocked her.

A simple shrug, "hn, I don't mind. You can stay for as long as you want." His eyes found their way back to the screen and he became absolutely quiet once more.

Sakura smiled and shifted on her side of the sofa, making her spot more comfortable as she came to rest her head in her hand and watch the show with Sasuke.

It was nice; spending Sunday morning in a nice condo, watching some sort of comedy show in silence with Sasuke only feet away from her. He didn't seem to mind her presence, and that's what made her feel giddy on the inside.

"How was the party?" His voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Huh?" Sakura glanced over, her eyes landing on Sasuke's straight face. "It was whatever, fun enough I suppose."

"Is that why you wanted to go home?" His tone turned serious along with eyes.

Sakura looked away, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She didn't actually want to go home. She wanted to see Sasuke, spend time with him, be done with all her high school friends that night and move on to a more quiet and secluded place.

"I didn't want to go home," Sakura confessed quietly.

Sasuke's eyebrow raised, his eyes glowing with wonder. "Then why did you say it?"

She felt like she had a lump in her throat now. She couldn't form words, nor think of anything to say without sounding like a complete creeper. What if Sasuke was just trying to be a good role model and take care of her when she needed, yet she took it the wrong way?

Sakura cleared her throat before looking away. When she looked back, she could feel the blush burning her skin. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

Oh, come on! Enough with the questions, Sakura screamed to herself on the inside. It was hard enough to answer the first one truthfully, but if she was going to be spending more time with him, they might as well get everything out there.

"Because I like you."

The second she said it, she put her head in her hands and waited for his response. Moments ticked by, and he still remained silent. Sasuke didn't shuffle, he didn't sigh, didn't grunt his disapproval. He only scoffed. Sakura refused to show her face after admitting such a heartfelt secret.

"Look at me," Sasuke spoke softly. Sakura shook her head before bringing her knees up and curling her body into a tiny ball. She wanted so badly to leave now.

"Sakura," he tried again. "Please look at me."

She took a quick glance over at him, and from there, she could see a small smile painted on his lips. His eyes were as gentle as his voice and he looked genuinely happy. Even his cheeks were colored in light tint of red.

"Why are you hiding your face?" He was no longer looking at her, but back at the screen.

"Because it's embarrassing."

"Hn," he grunted out. "If you feel that way, then that's your choice. But you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Sakura no longer held her head in her hands, but she was now looking at him with curious eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I guess that's something you can figure out on your own. You're a smart girl," he gave her a lopsided smirk before lazily tossing his hair around.

Fuck, Sakura felt her heart slam against her ribcage. What a gorgeous creature he is.

It seemed like every time the two of them started to progress towards a life changing topic, one of their phones started going off. This time it was Sasuke's phone that started to ring.

"Hello?"

Sakura tried her hardest to hear the other person that he was talking to, but there was little to no sound coming out. His eyebrows narrowed slightly before he leaned forward and ran his hand through his dark locks.

"What do you mean in the next hour?" His tone changed drastically, along with it, he let out a low sigh, almost like a growl.

"Fine. Bye."

When Sasuke stood up, he looked everywhere but at Sakura. She sat quietly and waited for him to get done looking around and when he finally cast a glance her direction, she smiled softly.

"Everything okay?"

"Peachy. I gotta go. I can take you home." His sentences and words were short, his tone icy.

Sakura nodded before getting up. The cotton shorts and fitted shirt she had on wouldn't be enough clothing to wear outside in the chilly weather, and the second she reached down towards her bag, she couldn't find her jacket.

"It's in the wash," Sasuke stated. "You can borrow one of mine and I'll make sure to give your jacket back tomorrow."

The idea of wearing Sasuke's sweater sent butterflies through her stomach and she only nodded before he made his way to his bedroom. The second he emerged, he tossed a black sweatshirt her way, and she slid it on over her body. It was huge, her body swam in it, but she was too enthralled in the idea of wearing something of his.

"Don't ruin it, it's one of my favorites," his tone finally lightened up a bit upon seeing her grinning face.

When she held it out to look at the front, the letters 'U of K' were written in red and white ink, with their symbolic leaf behind the letters.

"Thank you!" Sakura practically screeched. Sasuke only rolled his eyes in response.

When Sakura picked her bag up from the floor and began to walk towards the kitchen, Sasuke was walking right behind her.

"So you like me," he repeated from behind her.

She felt the same blush from earlier crawl up the back of her neck and etch the stinging sensation across the bridge of her nose. "Yes…" Her head turned towards him, but within seconds, her back was pressed against the wall and her emerald green eyes grew wide.

Sasuke's mouth was now brushing the shell of her ear, and if it had been any other guy that put her in this position, they'd get a swift knee to the groin. But Sasuke being this close shut down her entire central nervous system and she could hardly control her breathing.

"Good," he whispered, his warm breath ran down her neck.

Sakura trembled from beneath him, her teeth biting firmly into her lower lip and as Sasuke began to pull away, it was when his lips graced her jawline that she felt the need to fall to the floor. Her knees were buckled now, and she couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"Come on, Sakura." He pulled his lips from her skin and smirked at her before taking her hand in his and leading her out the door.

This has got to be a dream.

.

.

.

"Aw, honey! That's a lovely sweatshirt. Have you changed your mind and decided to go to University of Konoha after all?" Mebuki cooed the moment Sakura walked through the door.

She didn't answer. She only placed her keys on the counter before walking straight to her room like a zombie.

The moment she entered, she fell to her bed and pulled her knees to her chest and began to smile so wide that her cheeks hurt.

"He likes me."