30 days later - one day before the wedding

Ino knew that Gaara could be a very jealous man, even if he didn't admit it. Despite him acknowledging that Lee was her dance partner, Ino always found it amusing that her red-haired boyfriend would sit in the living room and watch as the two of them practiced. As if waiting for any ill-intentioned move by Lee. Lee would come over three times a week for rehearsals, and an hour later after he would leave, she would be pinned on the couch with Gaara on top of her, kissing her with such force that she would have to pinch him to get his attention. And although he would give her an irritated look, she couldn't help but enjoy his little jealous tendencies.

But now that she was getting ready to celebrate Sakura's bachelorette party, she was not enjoying Gaara's looks. She could feel him staring at her from the living room as she put on her lipstick. Damn, he was ruining her concentration.

"Is there a reason why you keep staring at me like that?"

"...Is there a reason why your skirt has to be that short?"

Ino gave a shrug as she placed her lipstick back inside. "I gotta look good, you know? This is my best friend's bachelorette party, not some funeral."

She sensed him walking towards her, and Ino pretended not to notice as she used the curling iron to curl the ends of her hair.

"...Does it have to be...so short?" he asked, placing his hand on the front of her thigh before giving it a squeeze.

"It's not that short," she slapped his hand away before turning around to face him, "You've seen me wear this skirt before and now you have a problem with it?"

He closed his eyes for a moment as he replied, "...We...weren't together like this...before,"

"Why Gaara, are you jealous that some other man may take interest in my legs?"

He shot her a glare and Ino couldn't help but laugh. It was easy to trigger him when he was jealous.

Gaara pulled her towards him, squeezing her against his body as she tried to calm her laughter. And then, his lips were on her neck. Not giving her simple kisses, but nibbling hard. She was glad that he wasn't kissing her lips; last thing she wanted was her lipstick smeared all over their lips. She raised her leg as pleasure swept through her body, her hands digging into the back of his head as a soft moan escaped her lips. It felt amazing the way he held her, his hands dangerously roaming underneath her skirt. And Ino was ready to take things forward until she felt his teeth bite her neck hard, causing her to scream in pain.

He pulled away as she brought her hand to her neck, her fingers feeling the sensitive spot. The bastard had given her a hickey.

"Dammit Gaara! This is noticeable!"

"That was the plan," he said indifferently.

The sound of her phone ringing stopped her from arguing further, and looking at the screen she jumped in excitement.

"The girls are here! Alright, I'll see you in a couple of hours,"

Gaara watched as she grabbed her small purse and exited the apartment. She wasn't telling him where Sakura's bachelorette would be held, and part of that irked him. Considering the outfit she was wearing (mini skirt with a tube-top that at least covered her cleavage), he knew that she was going to get looks and whistles. The moment he took notice of her outfit, his first instinct had been to lock the apartment door and stop her from leaving. But he knew that such an act would be selfish. This is the first time Ino would be going out since getting shot. And considering the pain she had to deal with, she deserved to have fun.

Sighing, Gaara walked into his room to get himself ready for Sasuke's bachelor party.

They stood in front of the smoke-free night club that had live shows and food, a location Temari thought to be perfect considering Sakura's pregnancy. Tenten had reserved a VIP table for them, making their stay even more comfortable.

The ladies watched as the rest of the nightclub goers danced as the hostess led them towards their reserved booth.

"Here you go! Here are the menus," the hostess said as she placed them on the table, "Waters will be brought momentarily,"

Sakura, who wore a white dress with a white and pink ribbon that said "bride and mother to-be", sat at the head of the table.

"Soon enough, I won't be able to join you all," she said in reference to going to nightclubs and partying until 2 am.

"It's OK, I am sure Ino will party and drink twice as hard on your behalf," Tenten said with a wink, and the blonde woman giggled.

"You sure bet!"

The waitress came back with their waters and some light appetizers. Hinata ordered a simple glass of wine, while Temari, Tenten, and Ino ordered multiple cocktails. Sakura asked the waitress for a glass of juice, wanting something sweet but not alcoholic. The waitress, seeing her growing belly, nodded and confirmed that she would be able to accommodate her request.

Ten minutes later, the drinks arrived and the girls continued to chat as the music changed and the performers came out.

In the meantime…

Naruto groaned as he swung his fishing rod towards the lake, telling himself that before the night was over, he would catch a fish and rub it in Sasuke's face. Something pulled him slightly forward, and Naruto began to reel it in.

"I think I got something!"

Kiba shot him an incredulous, "It's probably another log…"

"Shut it," Naruto replied, walking closer to the lake and pulling the object out. His smile disappeared as Kiba laughed.

"I knew it, another log!"

"Damn it… Well, I'm sure you haven't caught any either!"

"Actually, I got one! It's in the cooler over there!"

The blonde man groaned again before facing the groom-to-be. "Oi, Sasuke!"

The dark-haired man, who was standing with Gaara, Neji and Shikamaru, turned to him.

"Are we just going to be fishing here all night long?!"

Sasuke simply blinked at him before taking his focus back to the lake, "Yes,"

Naruto rolled his eyes before pulling his phone out. Of course Sasuke would want to spend the night before his wedding fishing.

"I'm bored," he texted Hinata, "What are you and the girls doing?"

The male performers all had eight-packs. They wore nothing but tight bottom briefs, and their sensual performance had nearly all of the females drooling.

Hinata simply blinked, feeling uncomfortable yet not wanting her eyes to veer away from such sight. Oh, and what a sight they were…

"They look...yummy,"

"Mhmmm…"

Mumbled Ino and Tenten, their drinks forgotten.

"Well, lucky us, I was able to get them to sit with us for a few minutes," Temari said with a triumphed smile, causing Sakura, Tenten, and Ino to stare at her as if she had just brought them gold, "...Aaaaand here they come!"

The ladies watched as three of the male performers climbed up the stairs and made their way towards them.

Hinata grabbed her phone upon feeling its vibration, smiling as she saw Naruto's name on the home screen.

"Hello," one of them said, "How are you fine ladies doing tonight?"

"Oh, we're good. We're celebrating Sakura's bachelorette party." Temari responded.

The men looked at the pink-haired woman, "A beautiful bride and mother to be. Hope you are enjoying your time at our club, Sakura."

"Oh, I sure am! Your dance was amazing!"

"Why, thank you- Oh, why hello there. What is your name?"

Ino blinked as she retracted her finger, Tenten giggling beside her as the blonde woman was just caught poking the man's hard bicep. She just needed to verify that they were real.

"Oh! Uh… Um… Ino. My name's Ino,"

"Nice to meet you, Ino. And how are you enjoying your time?"

The man stood a little too close to her, and while he was handsome with gorgeous brown eyes, Ino felt a bit guilty drooling over this man's muscles while Gaara was out there, fishing with the guys.

"Um, yeah! I am!"

"Well, that's good to know. How 'bout I get you another drink?"

Ino was about to say no, that one drink was enough (she was more lightweight than usual) but the man signaled one of the waitresses for another drink. A drink just for her. And to make matters more awkward, the man placed an arm around her waist as he got into conversation with one of his friends. Ino's blue eyes widened as she stared at Tenten, who mouthed "He's flirting with you". Oh, the man certainly was. She looked at everyone else and quickly met Temari's eyes, who gave her a slight smirk.

Not helping at all, Temari…

Naruto scratched the side of his head as he read Hinata's single-worded reply, which simply said "Fun". Hinata was not a single-worded person, and part of him suddenly became worried.

"Oi, Shikamaru… Where was it that you said the girls went?"

"Some place called...um...Paradise West."

"Isn't that the place that have half naked men dancing around on Friday nights?" Kiba asked.

There was a long silence as the men simply looked at Kiba, who stepped back as five pairs of eyes stared back at him.

"...What do they have on Friday nights?" Gaara asked, and Kiba was surprised at the fact that it was Gaara who asked. The guy had barely said a word upon arriving at the lake.

"Um… well… my sister would go there… But from what she told me, that place had some dudes who would go around dancing with nothing but briefs. B-But this was like a year ago! I'm sure they don't do that now!"

Another silence before Shikamaru interjected, "I'm texting Temari right now…"

Ino was on her third drink, and her mind was almost on cloud nine. Almost. There was one person missing - Gaara. Her redheaded boyfriend who she was missing more than ever. Oh how she wished he was here with her, standing behind her so she could grind on him. It wasn't fair that Fu had been able to do that months ago.

Suddenly feeling angry and moving away from the annoying male entertainer, Ino pulled her phone out and drunkenly texted Gaara.

"You didn't dance with me!"

Ino glared at her screen, watching as his response came back seconds later.

"What?"

Clearly the bastard didn't remember.

"You danced with Fu."

After sending him that text, Ino placed her phone in her purse before looking at her nearly drunk brunette friend.

"Tenten,"

"Hn? Y-Yeah?"

"Let's dance,"

Not allowing her to respond, Ino grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the dance floor as the music changed.

Temari, Sakura, and Hinata simply watched with amusement as the male performers blinked in confusion, not sure what just happened.

"Oh, looks like Shikamaru just texted me… And he's asking us what we're doing…"

"Naruto texted me not too long ago as well,"

"Why are the guys interested in what we're doing? It's our night…" Sakura said.

"Beats me," Temari shrugged, "But I know what to send them,"

Opening her camera app, she aimed at her two dancing friends and took a picture. That should get the boys guessing what they were doing….

Gaara blinked at Ino's response, feeling confused and guilty. Confused because of its randomness, guilty because he knew what she was referring to. The night he first met Fu, and how he danced with her and not Ino.

"...What the…"

Gaara looked towards Shikamaru as the man scratched the side of his head confusingly.

"Well, at least they're dancing together and not with any men…" came Neji's response, which had Gaara walking over to them curiously.

Shikamaru didn't say a word as he simply pointed his phone towards his direction, showing Gaara the picture Temari had just sent him.

It was of Tenten and Ino dancing, the latter standing behind as Tenten looked like she was trying to hold her balance on her two-inch heels.

And although the picture looked strange, Gaara had to agree with Neji: at least it wasn't with any male…

Two hours later…

Considering they all had to wake up at 7 in the morning for hair and makeup, it was safe to say that it was time to head home. Hinata, who was the designated driver, dropped Sakura off first. Afterwards, she dropped Tenten and Temari at their designated homes before dropping off Ino, who was the most drunk of them all.

The shy young woman smiled as Gaara helped her blonde friend exit the SUV.

"Bye Hinata! I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"Bye Ino! Have a good night's sleep!"

Ino, who was always perfect at walking in her heels, couldn't handle them at the moment. She removed them and grabbed them by their straps, wobbling her way towards the entrance of the building as Gaara stood behind her, watching as she could barely walk up the steps.

Sighing, he bent over and grabbed her legs, hoisting her over his right shoulder as she started to giggle.

"I am going to poke your butt!"

"Unless you want both of us to fall and get injured, I suggest you don't do that,"

Opening their apartment door and locking once inside, Gaara proceeded towards her room.

Throwing her heels by the corner, a 'weee' escaped her mouth as Gaara lightly threw her on the bed, his eyes briefly catching a glimpse of her white panties. Maybe she wouldn't notice if he threw the skirt out…

No, she would notice…

Gaara shifted his gaze back to her face as she pulled his hand, nudging him downwards. Ever since returning from the hospital, they shared the bed when going to sleep - regardless of whether it was his or hers. At first it was due to her anxiety and mind thinking that the man who shot her was still alive. But then, it turned into a nightly thing that neither of them wanted to end. And even though they kept it safe, telling each other that it wasn't time yet for that next step, little strokes here and there in personal areas had started.

"Did you enjoy your time?" Gaara asked as he spooned her, and Ino nodded.

"Yes, it felt nice hanging out with the girls like this. Did you catch any fish?"

"A few, but I threw them back in the lake,"

Ino giggled, "Then what's the point of fishing?"

Gaara shrugged, "Sasuke's idea. And I don't eat fish,"

"Hm, true…"

"...Did any guy...approach you?"

"Oh yeah, one even put his arm around me…"

Ino smirked as she felt Gaara hug her tighter, "Did you dance with any of them?"

"Nah, just with Tenten. You're not jealous of Tenten now, are you?"

The corner of his lips rose, "No, I am not. And regarding your text, you do know that my feelings for you are much stronger than what I felt for Fu. I had liked Fu…. But I...am, and have been, in love with you, Ino. And I don't want to lose you. So if that means dancing at a club with you, then I'll do it,"

Ino turned around and watched as his eyes scanned her face, waiting for her to say something. "I know you love me… and if it makes you feel better, the guy who was hitting on me made me feel uncomfortable… and I kept thinking about you the entire time. He wanted to dance and all, but I danced with Tenten so he would leave me alone… and he did,"

"Good. I don't want to hear or see you dancing with anyone else...but me…"

"Gaara, you do know that Lee is my dance partner tomorrow, and-"

"Damn,"

Ino laughed as the red-haired man placed his hand over his face. Clearly he had forgotten that her and Lee would be dancing three songs together as part of the wedding performance. Shifting herself, Ino laid her head on his chest as he released a sigh.

"...I almost forgot about that. But after those three songs, you and I will...dance…"

"You know you don't have to dance,"

"It'll make you happy...and I also want to experience it with you,"

Ino smiled and closed her eyes, knowing that she would have to get a good sleep if she wanted to be energetic tomorrow. Tomorrow was her best friend's wedding and she couldn't wait. But more importantly, she couldn't wait to share the dance floor with Gaara, both of them would be dressed nicely for the occasion. Now that was something she couldn't wait to experience.

Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, please leave a review and let me know what you thought!