Chapter 10: The Truth

I gulped. "Dare."

Gaara chuckled. "I thought you'd say that. I dare you to listen and tell me what you really think. Got it?"

I nodded. "Okie poke." What in the name of Boggy Jones was he going to tell me?

"You may not know this, but I ave a monster inside of me. I've been shunned all of my life, and though it may not look like it, Temari and Kankuro are scared of me. No one wanted to be friends with me, except for Naruto. Everyone thinks that I am going to turn on them and kill them. I don't want to be alone anymore. I 'm lonely and no one gives me the chance to let them understand me. I think that you do though. Since I met you, you've never once been mean to me."

Gaara started to cry. Not a sob fest, but it went through to my soul. He wanted me to pull him out of the pit of loneliness that he had been trapped in for all of his life. Gaara was type of person who needed my care the most. What was I going to do?

Oh Boggy Jones. This was something that me and my friends joked about. This time, it was real. Gaara did like me for real. This was like a reality check for me. "Gaara, I understand what your saying. I won't let you be alone anymore. I care for you, more than anyone else."

He stared at me. "You don't like Kankuro?"

I shook my head. "He was really nice to me and I'm grateful. But things wouldn't work out because I love you, Gaara." I leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. His tears stained my lips, but it didn't matter.

I pulled away and Gaara let go of my wrist. "I love you too, Esther." He came closer and kissed me. It was soft and gentle, and I melted into him. It was better than any stupid fairytale kiss you could watch on a movie.

We let go and Gaara did the weirdest thing. He smiled. It was one of those gorgey smiles that would make all the Sasuke fangirls melt into a puddle of smuck at the sight of it. I couldn't help but smile back.

Gaara held out his pinky. "Not word of this to Temari or Kankuro. Let's just make this our little secret, okay?"

I nodded and attached my pinky with his. He squeezed it for a second, and let go. "Sleep tight, Esther." He said, opening the door to his hotel room.

"Night, Gaara." I said. I walked a few steps and got to my hotel room. Temari was sitting on her bed, combing her hair. She was smiling non-stop. "Thanks so much for having the party! It meant so much to me!"

I smiled and nodded. "No problem. I enjoyed it, too." She went on about stuff, but I was half listening. I hummed some lines of my favorite song, and changed into my night clothes. Temari sighed. "I'm sorry."

I gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?" She laughed. "I'm sorry that you had to sit in Gaara's lap. You looked so uncomfortable."

Oh Boggy Jones. She was so wrong! I shrugged. "It was okay. A dare is a dare." She nodded. "You're right. Well, night."

"Night, Juliet. Have some sweet dreams about your Romeo." I teased, as I turned off the lights. She giggled and gave a sleepy sigh. I slipped into bed, and waited until I heard the faint snoring of Temari.

I started to cry. It was a mix of joy and sadness. I was happy that Gaara loved me , but I felt like I was now carrying a part of his burden. I fell asleep, to the thought of Gaara and how mush he cared for me.

AN: The stupid romance chapter. You all knew it was coming, so here it is. Much more to come! Thanks for all of you guys who review! A special thanks to Selene98 who told me to post this chapter! You rock a ton!

If you liked this story, go on and read Teach me something new. It's Selene98's naruto world journey!