The rest of the time they were at the café, no unnecessary words were exchanged between Deidara and Itachi, who kind of regretted showing the waiter his Sharingan. He had forced himself to use them in emergencies only, and that back there was definitely not an emergency. But something deep inside him wanted to warn Deidara, and it just came out. He put a hand over his eye and watched as Deidara packed up a table with Sai, looking like he always did. After they'd finished lunch, and Deidara was calculating the total of their order, the blonde asked Sakura to stay behind.
"Why?" Sakura asked with a touch of suspiciousness. She was still reproachful towards the guy because of how they'd first become acquainted, but part of her hoped for something different. What exactly that was, she didn't know.
"Just because, hm. I don't think it'll be a waste of your clearly precious time," he said with slight sarcasm.
As the words left his mouth, he glanced at Itachi. The Uchiha tried to gauge the amount of mean intention in the blonde's words, but surprisingly the blonde was keeping a cool demeanour. Itachi always had him down as the eruptive type, easily provoked, but clearly there was something different about him now.
"Fine," Sakura said, a little grumpy because she wanted to hang out more with Itachi. And Sasuke, of course, but mainly Itachi. She glanced at them, wondering if they were going to say they would wait for her. Itachi took one look at her and spoke exactly what was on her mind.
"We'll wait for you outside," he said. Sakura nodded and after Deidara gave Itachi the change—his fingers brushing against the Uchiha's palm—Sasuke followed his brother out.
"So…what do you want?" Sakura rubbed her arms, slightly cold, glancing out at Itachi. Deidara did too, and licked his lips.
"Do you like him?"
"What?" Sakura's head snapped around and she glared at Deidara with a mixture of shyness and irritation. Sure, she didn't really hide it well, but could he hold down on the bluntness?
"I know you do. He's pretty cool…yeah. But he's too old,"
"So?" Sakura huffed. Sure, she appeared annoyed on the outside, but on the inside, she felt kind of warm and fuzzy. "It's only five years,"
"Only?" Deidara repeated. His lower lip quivered just a little because he was still jealous. He really wanted her for himself, and no matter how stubborn she was, he couldn't help but like her. He knew now what people meant when they couldn't explain their unconditional love for somebody: there wasn't just a single aspect you could name about someone. They always say "there's just something about them". Accordingly, despite Sakura's unreasonableness and stubbornness, there was…just something about her that kept pulling Deidara back.
"Listen," Deidara forced himself to continue before he was too consumed by the resentment he had for Itachi that would then make him blubber like an idiot. He stamped down his inner nerves. "You want to grab dinner with me later?"
The question hung in the air for a moment before it finally registered in Sakura's head that Deidara had just asked her out. Well, not exactly in the girlfriend-boyfriend sense, but it was highly suggestive. Sure, it could have very well been an innocent thing, like Deidara wanted to ask her for advice on what present he should give his hypothetical long-distance girlfriend or something. Or maybe he was seeking a confidante. But on first glance, it just screamed I'm interested in you in that way.
"Um…,"
The old her would've said no, but that grin she saw before when Deidara was talking to Itachi was just…she swallowed hard. That had really been a sight to see. Not to mention yesterday afternoon—that had really changed her mind about him, even though nothing really significant happened. It was just how vulnerable and nice he looked.
She looked out at Itachi, whose back was to her. She was full of mixed emotions, and she didn't know which to trust: she was at a fork in the road and she didn't know which to take.
I like Itachi because he's…he's intelligent. He's considerate, thoughtful, and cute. So cute.
And Deidara, he's just...
She could find no words for Deidara.
Dammit.
Deidara had asked girls out before, but none of that actually compared to this. For once, his confidence was quashed prematurely because of the fact that Sakura had a thing for Itachi. Another guy. With the other girls, he had no doubt they would accept his offer.
Say yes. Just see where it goes.
"Yeah, okay,"
Deidara's heart did a little leap and he couldn't stop the happy grin that crept across his face. It made all his previous tiredness and stress ebb away, and it was clear to Sakura it meant a lot to him to have her accept. She couldn't but smile a little too.
"That's that then," Deidara said. He ignored the fact that Sasori was probably overhearing their conversation. As humiliating to him it was that he'd been drunk enough to want to do things with Sasori, he was kind of over it.
"Where?" Sakura asked.
"The Yamanaka," Deidara answered, referring to the huge retail complex that Ino's dad, Inoichi, owned. It was actually called the Yamanaka Shopping Mall, but that was such a mouthful people just shortened it to the first two words. "I'll treat you to something nice there, yeah?"
He moved aside as Sai came through, carrying two plates of linguine.
"So meet me at there at five," the Iwa leaned forward and grinned. His eyes, rather than glimmering with the smug flirtatiousness Sakura thought it would have, were friendly, but mostly unreadable. "Or you want me to pick you up?"
"You can get off at five?"
"Ha. Yeah," he straightened up again. "Sai will cover for me, I think, and danna won't be baking, so he can help too," he feigned a yawn. "Unless you wanna help me here instead of grabbing some nice dessert at the Yamanaka,"
Actually, it didn't sound so bad to Sakura. The warm fuzzy feeling inside her increased tenfold as she tried to imagine what it would be like helping Deidara serve people, and how—
Wait. Why am I thinking like this? I don't…can't…like him.
That's right. I don't like him, Sakura thought defiantly.
"I'd rather go have a fondue," she said, trying to make it sound like a tease to cover up her obvious state of self-denial. The highest levels of the Yamanaka were reserved for Michelin five-star restaurants where a basket of bread cost thirteen dollars. Sakura had only ever been to one of them once, and it had looked so glamorous she wanted to go again. But she never got the chance to. The fondue she was referring to was the famous one made in the restaurant on level seven, and one that was expensive. She actually intended for it to be a kind of test, to see if Deidara actually wanted her enough to get her a thirty six dollar fondue...not to mention a main course meal. And a drink.
And a basket of bread.
"Sure," Deidara said. "No problem. Should I pick you up then, un?"
"No, that's okay. I'll meet you at the main doors—you know, the revolving ones?"
"Yeah, yeah," the blonde said. "I live here too," he chuckled a bit. "Okay, see you then,"
"Alright,"
Sakura felt her insides burn with anticipation as she turned away, and her arms and legs felt like jelly as she opened the café door and stepped out onto the pavement, where Itachi and Sasuke were, talking quietly.
"Hey, sorry about that," Sakura glanced furtively at Itachi and smiled. "Sorry for making you guys wait,"
"It's alright," Itachi said softly. He gazed at her, then looked back in through the glass panelling to find Deidara—but he wasn't there anymore. He must've gone into the kitchen.
"What was up?"
"Oh—nothing. He just wanted to…um…," Sakura struggled with the next bit. "…hang out,"
Hang out…Itachi let the words roll around in his mind. Hang out, huh?
"Can we go somewhere else?" Sasuke said. The threesome began moving towards Itachi's car. Sakura all of a sudden felt anxious about Itachi, and what he thought of her going out with Deidara—did he think she was totally easy? The way he'd looked at her in the kitchen, it was undeniable he had something for her…but what was it? It could've been her imagination, really, but—
"I'll drive you back home," Itachi said to Sakura as she slid into the car once more. Her heart did a little drop and she wondered if Itachi was deliberately dismissing her because she'd told him she was going to hang out with Deidara, even though to her knowledge, it was a ludicrous idea, and she was just thinking too much.
"I have work soon," he explained on seeing the bewilderment on Sakura's face in the rear-view mirror. He looked at her for a moment longer, then indicated right and drove onto the road.
As he pulled up outside her house, he turned around to look at her. She was unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Take care and have fun tonight," he said quietly. The connotations in his words were clear: be careful around Deidara. Sakura nodded, her face hot.
"I will,"
"He better take you home,"
"U…um," Sakura faltered a little. She wasn't sure whether or not Itachi was just issuing one of those obligatory speeches adults made when teenagers told them they were about to go out with a member of the opposite sex at night, or if he was issuing a warning specifically about Deidara.
Sasuke shifted in his seat, sensing the edginess to his brother's voice with interest.
"Yeah. He will,"
"That's good," Itachi said, feeling the suspiciousness he had for Deidara creep into his voice. He knew Sasuke was noticing it—his younger brother was very sensitive to these sorts of thing—and Itachi threw him a look that said what are you looking at? "Bye then,"
"Thanks for the ride," Sakura said. She closed the door and watched as they drove away.
Was it just her, or did Itachi sound like he didn't like Deidara very much?
