This is incredibly awkward.

I think I've been staring into Itachi's eyes for a minute before I finally mustered a stony "So what can I get for you, sir?"

He blinked before asking in a bland voice, "What time do you get off work?"

"I'm afraid that it does not concern you, sir." I stated bluntly, keeping a cool exterior. 'Oh, so now his secret lover's probably busy and he wants to entertain himself by coming to look for me?' My mind thought coldy. But deep inside, I knew I was crumbling. "What can I get for you?" I repeated in a firmer voice.

For a nanosecond, Itachi looked slightly taken aback by my sudden coldness, and I felt guilty instantly. I mean, its not his fault that he's in love with someone else right? Heck, he doesn't even know that I knew that. He doesn't even know about my feelings for him (I hope)! All the tension here's only felt by me. He's probably wondering why I was being a bitch for no reason at all! So I decided to melt my iciness a little by forcing a smile.

"Anything."

Well, so be it. I went to the side to pour a glass of iced water and then pushed it towards him. "Don't worry, you don't have to pay for this."

He accepted the drink, expression blank, and then walked to the table near the cafe window and sat down, as cool as the liquid in his cup.

We didn't make anymore interaction after that, with me trying to look at anywhere but him, while he just sat in his seat quietly, staring outside the window. He didn't even touch his water.

Slowly, my resolution to cut all ties with him began to vanish. I mean, I'm acting like we just broke up or something! What we had was just a friendship! It doesn't mean that just because I found out that he has a sweetheart, we shouldn't be friends.

I sighed and resisted banging my head against the counter. Great, now how do I approach him without making me look like some PMS-ing bitch?

Luckily, I didn't have to answer that question as customers started streaming in. Before I knew it, the cafe was brimming with people. Every table was filled! Thank God it was self service, if not I would probably need eight more pairs of limbs to serve everyone here.

"Woah, we haven't had this much people since our opening!" Gen-san commented from behind the counter. I nodded in agreement while taking a look around the buzzing cafe. What happened? Why the sudden upsurge of customers? Did we place a "50% Discount! COME GET IT!" sign outside and forgot about it? Did- and our eyes landed on the answer.

Of course. That would explain why all the cafe's patrons were ladies.

Uchiha Itachi (who was staring idly outside the window, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone around was gushing and swooning over him). Our (unwitting) star attraction.

By the mid-afternoon we've already sold all our pastries and food, and that usually meant an early knock-off (which never happened before), but the cafe was still crowded. There was even a long queue of giggling schoolgirls outside! I turned to Gen-san. How do we tell the girls to clear out? They would most likely protest and glare us to hell if we do. I've learned not to mess with hormone-driven fangirls (I admit that I'm one myself). He shrugged.

Then, Itachi got up silently and strode to the counter, causing even more of a stir among the females (me included). He said softly to me in his smooth, deep voice, "Meet me at the park when you're done."

Of course, my body's natural reaction to instructions like these was to nod dumbly, which I followed.

Itachi was about to leave when Gen-san suddenly asked him to wait, went back to the kitchen and returned with a box.

"This is for you! For helping us get so much business today!" He said breathlessly and thrusted the box out at him.

Itachi raised an eyebrow quizically by a fraction, but accepted the gift anyway and said thanks. Then Gen-san giggled and blushed and disappeared to the kitchen to escape the angry glares from the girls in the cafe.

That was...odd...

I turned back to Itachi to find him already gone. Then, as quickly and sudden as they came, our customers left the cafe.

Okaaay... At least we made loads today!

I got ready to clear the place up after the last patron left, but Gen-san stopped me and said, "Don't worry, I'll do it today. Go find that handsome stud right now!"

"But-"

"No buts. Go, Shiori-chan!"

I smiled gratefully at him, changed out of the cafe uniform and then got ready go.

"Thanks so much, Gen-san!"


I twisted my fingers together.

I originally thought of standing Itachi up and giving him an excuse like, "I didn't know you meant THAT park!", but that wouldn't work cos' there's only one park in the vincinity. Plus, it isn't very nice (and how could anyone bail out on him?). So here I am, on a wooden bench with him at my side.

"Thanks for, you know... back at the cafe..." I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase my words. I can't possibly go, "Hey dude, thanks for using your supreme hotness to lure them ladies in and giving us bizz!" right?

"I didn't do anything." Itachi gave me the same quizzical look he gave Gen-san.

I twitched. He knows. "Anyway, why did you come? You didn't even order anything!" And you messed up my plan to get over you. I added silently in my mind.

The Uchiha stared off to the beautiful garden field scenery in front of us. "I figured that coming up to an empty rooftop without prior notification wouldn't make you too happy."

You can't imagine, my dear. You can't imagine.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said in a flat tone, but a slight frown flashed over his features. "I had business to attend to."

Its obvious that he has no intention of telling me what that business was, so I didn't push it.

"Its okay." I sighed. "You can make it up by treating me to some dango!" I added jokingly to lighten the mood.

He gave me a small smile, and then continued staring at the grass field.

Its almost as if we're back in the school rooftop now like before, with the same easy silence and atmosphere. Only that we aren't dressed in uniform. God, he could make even a simple (but obviously expensive) ensemble of shirt and slacks look so good and formal.

"Ne, Itachi..." I started. He didn't give any acknowledgement, but I knew he was listening. "We're friends right?"

He gave me a look as though to say "Duh." (in his smexy, poker-faced way of course).

"And friends tell each other everything right?" Okay, okay, okay, I can do this. "Everything like, who they are interested in and stuff, right?" Oh God, some kid on a bicycle, just run me over now please!

He looked mildly shocked by my sudden question and underlying hint, but then immediately recovered and chuckled softly. "Ah."

He knew where I was getting at.

I waited anxiously for him to continue, my heart about to beat right out of my mouth. And finally after about 5 hours (okay, only a minute);

"I'll tell you about her another time, I do not wish to discuss it now."

He said it in a gentle way, but there was a final edge to his tone. I felt a pang in my chest. Okay, more of a stab. I've already prepared myself for this, but I guess its another thing to hear him confirm truth in what I hoped was a lie. He didn't even ask how I got to know about it.

Then, -I nearly missed it-, something that looked very much like sorrow appeared on his handsome face. But it went away as soon as it came.

Oh God, he hadn't broken up with her has he?

I expected myself celebrate and throw confetti at that fact, but somehow, I felt... sad?

I found myself thinking that if having his heart broken meant seeing that awful dismal look in his face again, I would rather he make up with her and feel good and happy instead. Even at the cost of my own happiness.

If he's happy, I'm happy.

In fact, I feel so pumped up to offer him love advice so that he could salvage his relationship that I almost forgot that he didn't want to talk about it, so I held my tongue.

I probably looked like I was bursting to say something, because he told me, "Its not what you think it is."

So... there wasn't a break up?

"I-I wasn't thinking anything!" I defended myself. He can't know that I was planning to start quoting from LoveAdviceOnline.

He shrugged off my unconvincing lie, then said "Its getting late now. We should go. You don't mind me sending you back, do you?"

I shook my head calmly. Deep inside, however, I was practically jumping. I mean, Uchiha Itachi's sending me home! If it weren't for the girlfriend, it would be almost like a date. But this is just a purely platonic thing, I reminded myself bitterly.

We walked back to my house in total silence. The good, rooftop-kind of silence, of course.

I had almost thought that his chaffeur would come and pick us up in a limo or soemthing, and I would arrive at my street in total style like a glamourazzi, with all my neighbours looking in awe, but I think I prefer this traditional, simple way. It gives me more time to be with him, I guess. I wonder if he walks his girlfriend home all the time. Lucky, lucky, girl.

Then suddenly, we're already at my house's front gate.

I unlocked the hinge and turned to Itachi. "Well, thanks for today, I guess. See you on-"

"Shiori!" Then my mother suddenly ambled down from the front porch. "There you are! How many times have I told you to wash your underw-"

I stared wide-eyed in horror at her. She did not just say that in front of Itachi.

She had noted that she had said the wrong thing at the wrong time too, as she looked back and fro at Itachi and me, mouth open from finishing her sentence mid-way.

"I-I mean, wash underneath your d-desk! Its getting really dusty already!" She hastily corrected herself after a particularly long pause, even though it didn't make much sense.

"Yeah, s-sure thing, mom." I gritted out to her, then turned to smile embarrassingly at Itachi, who had an almost amused expression on his face. My left cheek muscle was twitching. "S-see you on monday, I guess."

He nodded to me, then politely to my mother, and walked off.

I waited to make sure that he's completely out of sight, before turning back to the woman who gave birth to me, who was suddenly very interested in her recently manicured nails.

"KAA-CHAAAAAN!"


Mom had been bugging me about Itachi for the rest of the weekend, convinced that there was something going on between the two of us despite my numerous claims that there isn't (and inside I was wishing there was). She got so excited that she told my dad over dinner, who suddenly dropped his chopsticks and started telling me about how I should start a career first before looking into love. Then she ran to the phone and called her friend.

"Ne, ne, ne, Keiko! Guess what? Shiori's found a boyfriend!" I remember her speaking animatedly into the receiver. "What? Of course! The most handsome boy I've ever seen, I tell you! He makes even Seiiko's son look like he got ran over by a bulldozer! Seriously! He's definitely rich. He was wearing this Versace..."

I sighed while plopping down onto my seat in the Music Room. Mom, you have completely no idea.

"Long weekend, un?" Deidara sauntered to the empty seat beside me. I looked away, blushing slightly. Even the hoo-ha of my weekend didn't make me forget about the embarrassing thing I said on friday.

Then, Kurenai-sensei walked into class and tapped the table with her marker.

"Alright class! I'm going to brief you on the project I told you guys two weeks ago now, so listen up! This constitutes 25% of your grade for this semester."

The class stopped buzzing and once she got the attention she desired, Kurenai-sensei continued.

"Okay, your job is to find out about the history and origins of ten Japanese instruments, including how, what, when, they were used. You must also present and compose a piece for the instrument, and I trust that part would be easy for some of you." Her red eyes flickered to me. "Do not copy and paste material from the internet, I expect you all to visit musuems and whatnot to gather information. Deadline is next monday, so place this high on priority. Understood?"

There was a chorus of "Hai"-s and the class started buzzing again.

Deidara and I turned to look at each other simultaneously.

"We're going to your house to start, un."


Author's Notes:

Hey, guys! Sorry if this is kinda short, I kinda rushed through it, so it might not have captured the essence of emotions I wanted it to. Sorry! I know I shouldn't hasted through this but I wanted to upload a chapter by today!

Next chapter's going to be really fun, I promise. :D

And thank you so much for the reviews, guys! I'm sorry, but I don't have time to make review replies now (do you guys even want me to reply?), gotta rush to somewhere! I'll do that in the next chapter, that will be coming in about 2 weeks. Sorry! ^_^'