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Last Time:
"Say, Sasuke," Sakura held his hand, "is it too late to accept that offer on a new apartment?"
Sasuke smiled and shook his head, "Not at all." He kissed the back of her hand, "I'll call around and see what's available."
Infidelity: Chapter 15 – Thursday
"The great thing about this place is that it is ridiculously close to absolutely everything you could want and or need," Sasuke's realtor, Nohara Rin, gushed as she strolled around the empty loft-style apartment with Sasuke and Sakura trailing behind her. "You're approximately a fifteen-minute walk from the train station, and Konoha University is two stops up, so it's a quick trip. I think it's about a ten-minute ride."
"That'd be a lot faster than what I'm doing now," Sakura confessed as she ran her hands over the stylish exposed brick. "How much is the rent here?"
"Considering the location, it's a little steep," Rin admitted. "Fortunately, utilities are included at a flat rate, so it's going to be $2,375 a month."
Sakura's jaw practically hit the floor.
"What do you think?" Sasuke asked.
"Sasuke, this is too much. I can't even afford that on one month's salary with the three jobs I do have."
"I told you that I'm covering the rent," he reminded her. "Do you like it? There are dozens of cafés and restaurants on this street alone, and you're close to the shopping district. Not only that, you're only about ten minutes away from my office and another fifteen to twenty minutes away from my apartment."
Sakura pursed her lips together, "Is it really okay if I like it?"
"It's perfectly okay," Sasuke assured her.
"If it helps," Rin chimed, "everything in the apartment is brand new. These are natural hardwood floors that are heated, which is excellent for the winter. It's a one and a half bathroom, so your guests will have a bathroom down here and your personal bathroom upstairs with heated tiles. You also have a deck attached to your bedroom and your living room with a fantastic view of the gorgeous city at night. There are also automatic shades that can either naturally adjust or you can manually adjust them.
"And, I remember that Sasuke told me safety was a concern, so you should know that the police station is just five blocks away, and this building has a security guard at the door at all times. Also, you need a unique access code and key fob to even get past the lobby," Rin explained.
Sakura hesitated.
"We'll take it," Sasuke told Rin.
"Wonderful!" Rin reached into her bag and pulled out the lease agreement, "I just need your signature and initials in a few places here, and then we'll be good to go. I understand that the situation is 'delicate,' to say the least, so I'll just pull a couple of strings, so you won't need Sasuke as the co-signer."
"Is that legal?" Sakura asked.
Rin shrugged and whipped out a pen, "Here."
Sakura took the pen, "What about my things at my old place?"
"We'll coordinate with the movers. Now sign the lease. The day is young, and I'm not going to work today, so let's go get you some new things for your new apartment," Sasuke declared.
"Are you sure you should be skipping work?" Sakura asked as she started to sign her lease.
Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, "Considering my bank account has three commas, I'm not worried."
"Pretentious," Sakura sang.
Sasuke snickered. He watched as Sakura finished signing the papers before handing the leasing agreement over to Rin. She gave Sakura the keys and their matching fobs before instructing Sakura on setting up her personalized access passcode for her front door and the elevator. Rin headed out once that was done, and Sakura and Sasuke were left alone in her new apartment.
"We probably won't be able to get any of your furniture delivered until Monday at the earliest," Sasuke noted as he took a look around. "Anywhere in particular that you want to go first?"
"My definition of 'furniture shopping' is going to the thrift store and yard sales in the suburbs," Sakura told him.
Sasuke put his hand on his chest, "Oh, you poor thing." He went over and hugged her, "Shh, it's okay. I'm going to show you the proper way to do things. Also, never form a sentence like that again."
Sakura rolled her eyes, "How are you so dramatic?"
"Shh," Sasuke cooed, "it's okay. Daddy's here."
"Oh, 'Daddy's' here, huh?" Sakura looked up at him. "I feel like that might've been you dropping a hint."
"A slight hint."
"Oh, slight?"
"Yeah. Slight."
"Well, Daddy," Sakura purred, "maybe there's something we could do to break in the new apartment?"
Sasuke chuckled, "Don't tempt me. Come on, let's go shopping."
"Fine, fine," Sakura agreed. "I'll trust your judgment on stores."
"Great, because I don't trust yours," Sasuke countered.
Sakura bickered while Sasuke teased, and they left. For the entire day, Sasuke took her from store to store, picking furniture and houseware for the apartment. Even though Sakura was uneasy about the amount of money Sasuke was spending, she had to admit that it felt good. However, the thing she was most excited about was the brand-new mattress and platform pallet bed frame she picked out.
"When was the last time you had a brand-new mattress?" Sasuke asked.
"I can't remember," Sakura admitted as she stared at the massive wall of sheets and comforter sets. "What are the sheets you have on your bed?"
"I have bamboo sheets," Sasuke answered. He pulled a couple sheet sets off the wall, "The sheets alone run between one and two hundred dollars. You have to buy the comforters and duvets separately, though."
"Can I get them?"
Sasuke nodded, "Of course." He held up the sheets he was holding, "What colors have you picked out so far? You're going for the colorful bohemian theme, aren't you?"
"Yes," Sakura exclaimed. She watched as Sasuke picked out several sets of sheets and put them into the basket before throwing in pillows and matching comforters and duvets. Surprisingly, Sasuke was beneficial for finding things that went with Sakura's aesthetic for the apartment and matching her chosen colors.
When all the shopping was done, and all the deliveries were scheduled, Sasuke drove Sakura back to her old apartment. As they headed upstairs, Sakura talked excitedly about how she'd decorate and confessed how relieved she was to be finally leaving her neighborhood, even though it'd be bittersweet at the same time.
"Oh, Sakura," Itsuki shut the door to his apartment, "you're back."
"Itsuki," Sakura took out her key, "I haven't seen you in a few days. Where were you?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Itsuki said. Then he saw Sasuke, "Oh. Uchiha Sasuke. You're here."
"Handa Itsuki," Sasuke "greeted" Itsuki.
"I tried calling you the other day, but you didn't answer." Itsuki redirected his attention to Sakura. "I had heard some stuff at the bar the other day about some loan sharks hanging around the building, and since you hadn't been home and considering your dad's situation, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"That situation has been handled already," Sasuke answered.
"Ah, is that so?" Itsuki wore the fakest smile he could as he looked at Sasuke. "So, they were here because of Kizashi?"
"Fortunately, they didn't hurt Sakura." Sasuke returned the smile, "However, as I said, the situation has been handled, and Sakura doesn't need to worry about those loan sharks or Kizashi."
"Ah, is that so?" Itsuki repeated his dry response. "Say, Sakura, are you still interested in that job at the bar? I was able to talk to my boss, and he said he'd be more than happy to have you back behind the bar."
"Ah, actually," Sakura scratched her cheek, "I'm moving, so it's probably not a good idea for me to work there anymore. It's far from my new place."
"You're… moving?" Itsuki's emotions were unclear, but Sakura couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by how he responded. "When are you moving?"
"At the earliest? Saturday," Sakura answered.
"I see." Itsuki smiled, "Well if you need help moving, let me know. I'll clear my schedule. Plus, I'd love to see the new place."
Sasuke smiled, "We already got all the help we can get."
"Ah, is that so?"
The tension broke when Sasuke's phone rang. He was reluctant to answer, but when he checked the ID, he scowled.
"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I need to take this," Sasuke told her.
"Sure." Sakura watched as Sasuke made his way back down the stairs. She wasn't sure, but she felt unsettled by being left alone with Itsuki. She wasn't sure where the overwhelming aura seemed to radiate off of him, but she knew he was upset.
Downstairs, Sasuke lingered in the lobby and answered his phone, "Karin."
"Husband," Karin cooed. "You could at least answer the phone a little more often. I get worried when you don't answer the phone."
"How sympathetic." Sasuke rolled his eyes, "So, what are you calling me for?"
"I'm headed home," Karin announced. "I'll be there Saturday, so make sure you pick me up from the airport. I already called the paparazzi, so come with flowers and some sort of gift. Wine, maybe? Or, we could be obnoxious, and you can show up with a giant teddy bear."
"Why should I oblige by that?" Sasuke asked.
"Because you're my husband and our image has to be a good one," Karin reminded him. "Your mother and father want this marriage to work for your sake. You can't be a bachelor forever, so we need to start making the media see you as the husband you are. We'll go over the schedule later."
"Schedule?" Sasuke repeated.
"Yes, schedule." Karin sighed, "It's going to be a lot of work since you didn't stay for the honeymoon. We need our names circulating through Konoha like air. It's almost spring, so the social season is going to pick up, and the first major event is Hinata and Naruto's wedding shower."
Sasuke sucked his teeth, "Yeah. It's in three weeks."
"Exactly, so that gives us plenty of time to prepare."
"What time are you landing on Saturday?"
"Early morning, so we'll spend the whole day together, in public, and do an interview with Ino Sunday morning discussing our plans for the immediate future," Karin explained. "Why you didn't have plans, did you?"
"I did, actually," Sasuke grumbled.
Karin chuckled, "Too bad. Your wife takes priority."
"Right," Sasuke heard someone clear their throat, and he turned to see Itsuki standing a few feet behind him, "my wife takes priority."
"Great. Well, I'm going to go now. I still have a few thousand dollars available on today's credit, so I'm going to go and make the most of it," Karin exclaimed. "I'll see you Saturday."
"Yeah." Sasuke hung up and turned to face Itsuki, "Can I help you?"
"Not really." Itsuki smiled, "Have a good night, Uchiha-san."
"You too, Handa-san." Sasuke watched as Itsuki left, and he sucked his teeth, "What a nuisance."
To Be Continued…
