A/N: Alright, I have had several requests to post up the next chapter for Valentine's Day so I am going to, even though it is a day later, sorry. But now I am all caught up and it will take a little more time between chapters so please be patient with me. For my Valentine's gift in return I ask that anyone who is reading and following this story to read my A True Love Story fanfiction. It's another ShikaIno fic that I have been working on and it is just as good if not better than this story! Alright everyone, happy Valentine's Day. And just remember when you finished reading this that you asked for it…

Chapter 11

Ino felt like crying. She wanted the ground to just open up and swallow her whole. It was going to happen. Shikamaru was going to take Temari out on a date, that night.

It was a Sunday evening and Shikamaru was fiddling with his tie in front of the foyer mirror. The dimple just wasn't turning out right and he had done it over three times already.

He seemed flustered to Ino and this made her heart ache painfully. He appeared different to her. She couldn't quite place it, but it was enough of a change to draw her attention. His face was harder, his gestures more clipped and withdrawn. He seemed to resent being near her and it hurt her so much.

Why couldn't she just be brave? Why couldn't she just tell him that she loved him and not to go? Why couldn't he just see how she felt?! He was such a brilliant man in business and he was so well educated and smart! His IQ was off the charts, but he couldn't see how much she loved him! This was ridiculous!

She was relieved as her frustration took over her sadness. She did not want to wallow in self-pity that night and she wouldn't. Ino stood from her seat at the bay window and walked over to Shikamaru as he undid his tie for the fourth time.

"Here," she murmured as she touched a gentle hand to his shoulder to draw his attention, "let me do it."

The simple touch sent fire down Shikamaru's spine and he grit his jaw determinedly against the urge to press her up against the nearest firm surface. She had made it very clear that she was not interested in him romantically, but that did not stop his heart from aching or his body from craving contact with hers.

He muttered something morosely as she flipped up the collar of his button down and flattened out the tie along the back of his neck. His eyes watched her expression intently as she focused her full attention on the task at hand. She was so beautiful. She had a good heart as well and a wonderful dream. She was a driven strong woman and he would never have her…

Ino could feel his eyes on her as she finished her task. The tie now hung evenly down his chest and torso with the proper dimple. She smiled sweetly at her handy works as she lifted her hands up to his neck to fold down his collar once more. Her thumbs grazed across the skin there and her eyes became focused on the pulse along his throat.

Shikamaru did not want to break the silence. She had not withdrawn from him, her eyes were fixed on his neck and he wished that time would just stand still as he savored every moment of this closeness. He wanted this familiarity for the rest of his life. He swallowed thickly against the feeling of frustration.

Ino blinked dazedly as she watched his Adam's apple bob, her trance broken. She met his eyes and smiled softly, "That looks much better."

Shikamaru wanted to pull her back against him even as she stepped away. Why couldn't he just be brave? He loved her so much.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," Ino teased, her inflection sounding slightly shaky even to herself.

She turned away to retreat back to the bay window seat, scooping up her book that she had been reading and training her eyes on it in an attempt to dismiss Shikamaru and look uninterested at the same time. It worked as Shikamaru turned to leave the house a moment later.

Picking up Temari at the Sabaku residence had been intimidating to say the least. The palace that the family lived in would have held his own humble residence five times over. He wondered momentarily about what Temari's reaction would be to his own home. He certainly didn't plan on moving out so, if the marriage did happen, she would have to either suck it up or stay at her own mansion. Ino loved his quaint little home.

Thinking about her made him clench his jaw tightly as he exited his vehicle to ring the doorbell. He didn't need to be thinking about the woman that would be leaving him in just under two months' time. A chill ran through his limbs at the thought and he forced it back. He needed to focus on making a good impression with Temari.

The two of them had a history, not at all similar to his and Ino's. He had met the girl in college and she had actually been his connection to Gaara. After establishing a business relationship with the younger Sabaku, he had not really made any further attempts at any kind of relationship with the blond. She was arrogant and overconfident and this did not appeal to Shikamaru.

Ino's personality was far more interesting to him. She was lively and outspoken. She was also confident in herself, but not to the point of being annoying. She put value in other people and was a friendly social person. Despite being the exact opposite of him, he felt so much more comfortable with her. He felt that they could spend all the time in the world together and never get bored.

Temari was too similar to him for Shikamaru to find any interest in her. She was shrewd and calculating and took each event in her life as an opportunity to further herself and her family in the business world. The woman didn't seem to have any emotion or feeling to her.

'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,' he thought to himself, but it was already too late as a servant opened the front door and ushered him into the foyer.

Ino worried at her bottom lip, restraining the urge to think about Shikamaru and the date that he was on with that horrid cow of a woman! She had been attempting to read her book and was failing miserably! The thought that Shikamaru was out with that woman was eating away at her.

Her head had begun to throb uncontrollably as her eyes nearly crossed from staring at the words of her book for so long. With an irate shout she threw the paperback across the room and watched with little satisfaction as it fell to the floor.

She folded up her legs to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees as her hands combed roughly through the roots of her hair, 'I can't handle this!' she thought desperately with tears building in her eyes, 'I can't just let her have him!'

But what could she do? She could do something really stupid. She could text him during his date. What would his reaction be? Would he be upset with her? He had withdrawn so much from her since that day at the office. Since the day she had concurred that it would be a good idea for him to marry Temari. What the hell had she been thinking?!

"God, I'm so stupid!" she muttered to herself as she folded her arms over her knees and rested her chin on them.

Her cell phone was just over on the island. All she had to do was get up and text him. That was all she had to do. But why couldn't she move? Because she didn't know what his response would be. She was afraid that if she interrupted him he might be angry with her. But what was worse, feeling the way that she did at that moment, or risking his anger later?

Time passed as she continued to stare at her phone and ponder her options. She knew that she hated feeling this way. She hated the idea of that woman taking Shikamaru away from her. She hated the idea of losing him and of never being with him. But she also hated the idea of him being angry with her. She hated the idea of him resenting her and shunning her immaturity.

"What's worse then?"

She set her jaw and stiffened her back as she arose from the bay window cushion. A few steps and she had her phone clasped within her grip. Swiping the screen to unlock it, she typed in a hurried message and hesitated…

Can we talk?

What would she say if he responded? She would probably just hesitate on the other end of the line as he waited impatiently to return to his date. She deleted the message and typed in something else.

Come home.

That was even worse…

"Ugh!" Ino shouted out in frustration as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled out.

How's the date going?

But she couldn't care less about that response! What could she say to make him acknowledge her?! What could she do?!

Her only option right now was to talk to him. Maybe she could tell him there was an emergency of some sort at home. That might work. Or she could just grow a spine and tell him how she felt.

She settled with her first message.

Can we talk?

And before she could change her mind she pressed the send button. There, now all she had to do was wait…

Shikamaru restrained the urge to yawn as he and Tamari waited impatiently for their dinner. The restaurant that they occupied was five star fancy with white tablecloths and candlelight. The atmosphere was intimate and romantic and Shikamaru felt neither for the woman sitting across from him. He was bored out of his mind and thinking about no one but Ino.

What was she doing at that very moment? Had she thought about him at all since he had left? Would she be awake when he got back home so he could talk with her? That was all he wanted to do at that moment. He wanted to talk to her about everything and nothing. He wanted to wake up next to her in the morning, every morning. He wanted to touch her whenever he wanted and not worry about the repercussions. He wanted to be with her now more than he ever had before and being on this date with Temari made him realize that simple truth.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Hu?" Shikamaru asked, his eyes meeting hers with a bored expression.

She just wasn't mentally stimulating enough to him! All she wanted to do was talk about work and he just didn't. She was suggesting production ideas for the next fiscal year, wondering if there was a suitable amount of funding. He would know the answer, being the financial advisor of the company, but he just didn't care!

"Yeah," he answered lamely, noticing the scowl on her face with little concern, "Excuse me for a minute."

Temari sighed dramatically as she glared heatedly at the dark man while he retreated to the back of the restaurant, presumably in search of the restrooms. He was making no effort at all to get to know her as a person and she was getting irritated. Sure he had smiled and nodded enough, but he hadn't contributed anything to the conversation. It was like pulling teeth to get more than a three word repose from him!

She placed her chin in her hand as she glared angrily at the melting candlestick on the table. The evening had been as fun and entertaining as watching paint dry! What was the guy's problem anyway?!

She took notice of his phone as it vibrated several times on the table. An image of the blond woman she had seen at the Halloween Party and at his office popped up before the screen dimmed. What was she doing making contact with her boss this late at night?

Temari looked after where Shikamaru had left, taking note if he were on his way back to the table. Not seeing any sign of the man, she grabbed up his phone and unlocked it.

'What guy doesn't have a password for his phone in this day and age?' she thought flippantly as she opened the received message.

Can we talk?

'Um, how 'bout no?' Temari thought as she deleted the message with an evil smirk, 'Too bad girlie; he's mine now.'

She set his phone back in its exact spot just a second before she spied Shikamaru rounding the corner.

Ino lay in her bed, her cheeks stained with her tears as she stared up listlessly at the ceiling. Shikamaru hadn't messaged her back…

She had sat at the bay window, staring intently at her phone for the first fifteen minutes after she messaged him. After that, she had forced herself to put the thing down and find something else to do. She began her laundry, taking furtive glances at her phone each time she walked by. After the laundry was completed, she had still not received a response.

She began to feel anxious, wondering if he were ignoring her request. Would Shikamaru do something like that to her? Or was he just having such a good time with Temari that he wasn't even paying attention to his phone? Why did this have to hurt so much?! Why did she have to feel so torn and hurt and lonely without him?! It was utter agony as she took to staring at her phone again, praying to anyone that cared to listen for him to just message her back. Even a response of 'later' would have been enough, so long as it was something!

But nothing ever came…

An hour and a half after sending the message and he had not responded to her…

The time had gotten late and Ino had resigned herself to falling asleep, but it wouldn't come. She couldn't relax and the tears had overflowed as she thought helplessly about the love that she felt. As she thought about the love that would never be returned no matter how badly she wished it.

Ino took notice at eleven o'clock as she heard the front door being opened. She listened intently as Shikamaru shuffled around downstairs, presumably removing his shoes and placing his keys in the nick knack bowl. The answering sound of the keys ringing in the metal bowl told her that her assumption had been correct. She continued to focus on the sound of Shikamaru's movements as he mounted the steps and reached the top of the landing.

Time seemed to freeze as she heard his motions stop just outside her door. His bedroom was across from hers, so maybe he was trying to be quiet as he entered his room so as not to rouse her from her supposed sleep. But, for several minutes, she heard no more movement. He was standing outside of her door…

Ino could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for him to move, eagerly anticipating his next actions.

'Just come in!' her thoughts cried out.

If he did she would tell him. She would tell him how much she loved him and how much she hated that he went out on that date with Temari. If he came in she would give herself to him completely if he wanted her or not.

'Please,' she thought desperately, the tears coming forth again as she begged him wordlessly.

Shikamaru sat poised on the other side of her door, his hand hovering undecidedly over the handle. What would she do if he came in? Would she open her arms to him? Would she hold him through the night and be there the following morning?

His expression was somber as he continued to imagine a happy future with Ino. He could imagine them being content together. He could see himself being with her for the rest of his life! But he just couldn't take the fall. He just couldn't be courageous and open the door. He couldn't…

Gritting his jaw, he withdrew his hand and entered into his own empty room.

Ino let out a soft sob as she heard him enter into his room and close the door behind him. This was her breaking point. She could finally take no more of his rejections. It would be better to not have him at all than to suffer through his negligence!

With her mind made up, she got out of bed and began to pack her things. She was going to return home and never ever come back…

A/N: Oh I cried when I wrote this. They are just so stubborn. I'm sorry if I made any of you upset or cry. It'll get better soon I swear! Please review!

P.S. I also want to give a personal shout out to my Guest reviewer/s, LilyVampire, ShikaIno1, TheBlankWriter, MakeItHayle, and mschweezy. I have consistently gotten enthusiastic reviews from all of you about how much you are enjoying the story, so please keep supporting me. :)