I said awhile back I'd list some songs for you to randomly jam to in the name of summer, so here's a few that I like. Btw, they aren't coordinated with the fic at all, soo... yeah. Just enjoy them, lol. Oh, and my editor just informed me she's on vacation so forgive me for any screwups you might stumble upon. Let me know if you see any!

A-punk-- Vampire Weekend

Mrs. Robinson-- The Lemonheads

Creeps Me Out-- Ima Robot

Overdue-- The Get Up Kids

He let go of her thighs and she stood behind him as he unlocked the wooden door to the warm beige cottage surrounded by magenta flowers. She was momentarily distracted by the cozy exterior and didn't notice that Sasuke had already walked inside.

When she turned back to the door, he wasn't there. She flushed with embarrassment and scurried in quickly. He was using the wall for support as he pulled off his filth-covered boots and tossed them to the corner. He glanced her way before going up the winding staircase, smirking to himself.

"I'm gonna shower. Just hang down here for a bit." He called down from the stairs before disappearing into the bathroom, she assumed.

She awkwardly stood for a second, taking in the light brown leather sofa, the oak coffee table, pictures of the owners' family and just the overall feeling of the place. It was small compared to her standards and gave her a quick rush of claustrophobia. Her heels clicked against the hardwood flooring as she walked towards the carpeted stairs and with one look around her could see the kitchen and tiny library also on the ground floor.

Like hell was she just going to sit still. She left her pink heels by the stairs and quietly made her way up, careful not to make her presence known. Several doors were lined up in the hallway at the top, one near the end the bathroom. She could hear the shower pouring water and a tiny slither of steam leaking out from the door. She tiptoed to a door on her left and prayed with squinted eyes that it wouldn't squeak.. It did.

She muttered unmentionable curses and such to the door before entering. It was a bedroom, but very plain. White walls, wooden dresser, narrow bookcase in the corner, one window and curtains lavender with blue stripes to match the sheets on the bed. Curiosity dragged her to the bookcase and she scanned the spines slowly, nodding in approval when she recognized a few.

Just then something hot grabbed her hip and she gasped loudly as she whipped around, her back smacking the bookcase with a rattle. It was Sasuke, of course. She then noticed the shower was off and he was standing before her in a plush white towel barely wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water barely clung to his skin, a few rolled down tantalizingly slow over his firm, bare chest and around his gently chistled abs and-

"Sakura, I need to change."

"O-oh! Sorry, I'll go, I'll go. Sorry!" She dashed out before another blush could rush to her face. She closed the door so fast, her yellow dress almost got caught.

He shook his head, a chuckle leaving his throat. She covered her face with her hands, unable to believe how much of a loser she must have seemed like just standing there.. Almost drooling, no less. She slowly walked down the stairs, her legs numb from the burst of adrenaline that scene gave her. She went back to the sofa to do what she was originally told to do, which was to just stay there. If she had only listened, she wouldn't have embarrassed herself like that. But in the back of her mind, she knew she didn't regret a second of it.

She stared at the wall unit in front of her, at least fifty picture frames filled with faces and memories clustered in it. A flower pot sat on one shelf, a fake bundle of daisies planted in it. In the middle of the unit was a fat television. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen one of these. After all, ever since flat screens were put out on the market, that was all she used.

Her thoughts drifted to her friends at the dinner with Lawrence. Should she have just gone? What was she planning on doing here, anyways? Was she making a stupid mistake? She gave up trying to sit up straight and proper and just fell over onto her side. With her hand seperating her cheek from the leather, she huffed out. Too late to change anything. Besides, there was a hot guy upstairs getting dressed for her. She was going to make the best of this.

Light fingers traced down her bare arm to her elbow then down to her hip and locked on. She knew it was him, but this sneaking-up-on-her thing kept making her heart jump. Especially since he'd touch her in such a way she couldn't deny her growing addiction for. But as long as no one questioned that detail, life would be good.

"Tired?" His husky voice whispered into her ear as he leaned over the back of the sofa.

"No, I was just kind of bored." She replied, starting to lean up.

His hand stopped her, grabbing her shoulder and firmly but gently pushing her back down on her side. "That could'nt be it. I was only gone for three minutes, if even. Sneaking around is a strenuous activity, especially when you suck at it." He teased and then jumped over the back of the sofa and on top of her, practically body slamming her.

"Sasuke! Get off!" She squeaked with whatever air wasn't just squeezed out of her lungs.

"If that's what you want." He sighed, then flipped them over so he was under her. One of his legs intertwined itself with hers and his hands locked behind her lower back. Her face was next to his neck with her hands gripping at his shoulders. He expected her to fight back, but she didn't. She just laid there, the only thing moving was her torso as she inhaled and exhaled at an odd pace.

"Sakura, are you okay?" He asked sincerely, his eyes hardening and losing any sign of mischief. He felt her turn her face into his neck and a wet warmth in the crook of it, cold when her short puffs of breath touched it.

He unlocked his fingers and brought one hand to her hair, stroking it slowly. Something was wrong, but he was pretty sure it wasn't him. Or at least anything he had done recently. Her fingers clung tighter to his shoulders and her face pressed harder into his neck.

"Sakura..." He inhaled slowly, then exhaled loudly. If she wasn't going to talk, then he'd have to stick with comforting. Which... the only experience he had in that department was when his mother would comfort him after he'd scrape his knee or something when he was five or six.

The hand still resting on her lower back trailed to her side and he began to lightly tickle her, going higher and then used both hands when she started to giggle, bringing her to loud bursting laughs. She wiggled around, trying to squirm away fruitlessly. She was screaming for him to stop, laughing through the almost forgotten tears. Her dress began to wrinkle and soon Sasuke had to stop because he wouldn't be able to ignore the unintentional grinding and lap dance much longer and...she really was getting tired.

He sat up against the corner of the sofa, one arm slung back and the other on his knee with one leg stretched to the other corner of the sofa. Sakura sat on her knees in front of him, not making much eye contact. She wiped her nose and made a move to get up, only to have him grab her arm. He was going to get answers and she knew it.

"Well?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Well what?" She was going to drawl it out as long as she could.

"Sakura.." He growled, a warning.

She took a deep breath and concentrated on her hands as if the answers were written in them like back in elementary. No such luck. "I just was feeling stressed, is all."

He raised an eyebrow at her, either thinking she was bullshiting him or wasn't understanding. "I hadn't been too excited about this trip. The only reason I came was because my friends were coming and if I was home alone, I'd have to go to all of Dad's stupid dinner parties with a pretty smile and perfect manners. And you," she stopped for a deep breath to prevent any more crying. "you have it so easy. You do what you want, when you want. Just because I have money doesn't mean that I'm happy. I always have to be on a schedule, always have to be on top of fashions and the latest gossip news, always need to be perfect and.. I am tired."

He sat there quietly as she did the same but awkwardly. Finally after what felt like hours, he got up and nodded for her to follow. They went up the stairs again and he took her to the room next to the one he found her in earlier. This one had pale yellow walls and bright purple curtains like the comforter. The set up of the room was identical to the other one. He roamed the drawers until he found a pair of jeans with some tears in them. He tossed them onto the bed and then walked out, leaving her to sit on the edge of the bed. Just as she was about to pick up the pants, he popped his head back in.

"Put those on, would you? I'm gonna grab some shoes for you, too." She sighed, figuring it was better to just not ask any questions and just do as she was told.

She pulled them up and found them to fit almost perfectly. Just a little loose, but nothing a belt couldn't fix. He came back in with a black hoodie draped over his shoulder. She looked at him with a bit of confusion and just as she opened her mouth to speak, he tossed it right in her face.

"Take the dress off and put that on. I'm going to assume you're wearing a bra." He just turned around and on his knees he dug through the tiny closet in front of him, looking through pairs of shoes on the floor. Again, she just did it. It had a zipper in the front, so it was easier.

"No shirt?" She asked.

"They're all practically paper. It wouldn't make a difference, honestly." He pulled back from the closet with a pair of slightly dirty sneakers in hand. He tossed them by her feet then got up to grab some socks from the the drawer.

"There. Now put them on and meet me in the other room when you're done." She began putting on the socks and sneakers, trying to forget that they were someone else's and it was so not gross.

She almost whimpered as she walked, never having to borrow anyone's shoes before. Especially not a total stranger's.. Still, it was better than bringing up what happened downstairs. Maybe he was trying to get her to not to think about it.. Hey, he was a guy, after all. Touchy feely moments aren't even close to being their area of expertise. Ohmigod, I must've made him so uncomfortable... Geez, he so deserves an apology now... Damnit, I'm so stupid..

She walked into the room cautiously despite the open door and leaned against the wall as he put on his boots. Yes, boots. Cowboy boots. But damn, he can so pull it off.

He got up and straightened his open black shirt, tugging at the unused buttons. His subtle ripples of muscles were stunning with his pale complexion against his shirt and the dark blue jeans tucked into his yummy boots.. So many perverted cowboy innuendos in my mind! Agh!

"Ready to go-oh.." He looked up and was a bit stunned for a second. The rips were high and some larger than others up her thighs. One that she apparently didn't see was a bit extra high revealing a flash of pink. He swallowed hard but quickly moved his eyes to hers. Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Be sure to let me know how you liked (or not) the songs! Reviews are my fuel, so fill me up so I can keep going! Poll on my profile is still open!! It's an interesting question I think a good number of you actually wonder about...

On a different note, the amazing author Ren (she changes her penname a lot, lol) has dedicated a chapter to me in her awesome fic Shadow Lands. She is my idol on this site, so please check out her work if for some crazy reason you haven't already!

happy unbirthday

--frumpyrox