The drive was short, no more than an hour and a half before they'd reached the lakehouse. It was in a secluded area along the beach of a large lake; there were one or two other residences in the area, but they were spread out far enough that each individual had their own very private space. Theirs was surrounded by trees, with a large yard area on one side. The back door led right out to a dock on the lake, and a canoe and a couple of kayaks were in a rack near the back door. The house was small but tall; the lower area had a large living room with a fireplace, a small dining table and kitchen, and stairs that led up to two bedrooms and a study.
"Well, here we are," Sakura said as they entered, raising her arms and turning around to show him the place. "I have so many memories of this place. Ino and I used to spend our entire summers here in elementary and high school before I graduated early." Sasuke watched as she spoke, a soft smile on her features. This was one thing he felt he'd never understood about Sakura; when she was excited, her whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. He couldn't comprehend how someone could be this joyful. There was happiness, there was joy and excitement, and then there was Sakura.
She was in a league of her own in so many ways. It baffled him.
"It's quiet," he commented. "I like that." He preferred quiet and privacy. He could undoubtedly stand coming here in the future if she wanted, especially if it elicited this kind of reaction out of her.
"Yeah, it's nice and secluded. Nobody here to bother you, but if you need anything, there's always someone just down the road. Anyway, let's get all of this into the fridge," she said as she grabbed the cooler and dragged it over to the fridge, sitting down on the floor to start putting things away. "The fireplace works, but there's also a pit down on the beach, which is a little better to use. It's been pretty warm the last little while, so the water should even be warm at night. Night swims with a fire on the beach are fun."
"Sounds wonderful." He picked up their bags and hauled them upstairs, setting one bag in the bathroom and the other in the bedroom. At least they wouldn't need to unpack those bags; they'd only be here for a few days, after all. Not that he'd mind an extended vacation...
Sitting upstairs, he tried to remember the last time he'd done something like this. His memory from when he was a child was foggy. He could remember a few things, but before the fire, it was only bits and pieces. Fragmented memories, if he had to describe it. After that, he remembers hospitals, foster homes, kids looking at him from afar, staring and pointing. He remembered trying to keep them all at a distance; only one kid had the guts to keep trying no matter how many times he tried to push the idiot away.
And, idiot as he was, Naruto had made an impression. He was one of the only people that Sasuke felt he could trust, that he could rely on if he needed anything. It was rare that he did. No, now that he thought about it... He'd yet to make any use of it. It was one thing to ask him about cases; they were coworkers, which meant their cases would often cross paths, and they'd have to compare notes. Personal things were not the sort of conversation Sasuke ever had with anyone.
He was determined to make this weekend memorable. Not just for him, but also for Sakura. She'd been through hell in the first few months at her job; something exciting and happy would be good for her. He grabbed his bag and changed out of his work clothes, folding them neatly on a chair in the bedroom before changing into something more comfortable. He wore long shorts that were just past his knees, putting them with a matching t-shirt. It still covered most of the scars, but he'd grown used to showing some of them to Sakura. She never stared the way others did.
Sakura had finished putting away the groceries and was starting on making something when he came down. It looked tasty, whatever it was; he looked forward to anything she cooked.
"Hey, are you okay with burgers? There's a grill we can put over the fire outside to grill them nicely over the flames. They get a nice smoky taste if you do." She wanted to be sure that he'd be all right with a fire, especially after his reaction last time. Risking that sort of thing was not something she wanted to do. "If you can't light it, that's fine, but if you could get the kindling set up and some logs moved next to it, I can come out and start it. We'll have to let it burn for a bit anyway, so we've got coals to cook them over." She was in no rush to get things ready; the sandwiches that they'd had on the drive out had been more than enough for an hour or two.
"Sure. I'll get it settled." Sasuke grabbed his shoes and went out the back door, staring out over the lake for a moment and taking in the view. It was beautiful. Not the most beautiful thing he'd seen, but... well, that sight was busy preparing their dinner. Smirking to himself, he grabbed a few of the logs and moved down to the firepit on the small beach area. It was well away from any grass or anything flammable, perfect for him to handle. No chance of anything going awry as long as they managed it, and if they left it, it would just burn out untouched. Not to mention it being near the water.
He settled the kindling in the pit and set the logs beside it, taking a deep breath as he stared at it. No matter what he did, he couldn't shake that feeling. He wouldn't be able to start it, not this time. He'd leave it to Sakura to deal with. He could remember vividly the look that was on her face when he'd started to panic. That level of worry made him feel sick. He could only imagine how she'd felt seeing him in that state.
"I don't get you," he said softly to no one in particular. "Why do you care so much? How do you have such a big heart?" Shaking his head, he made his way back inside, hoping she hadn't heard anything he said.
"So what are you making for dinner this time?" He asked curiously.
"Well, we've got the burgers, and I've got a delicious pasta salad we can have with it. I'll make extra, too, so we can have some as a snack later." She was stirring some pasta on the stove, picking it up and pouring it through a strainer and running cold water over it. "Other than that, not much. If you wanted to cut some fresh veggies to have on the side, that could be good. Tomorrow we can have burgers again, but I'll make some potatoes to go with them. I make killer roasted lemon potatoes," she said proudly.
"Sounds good. And it's... not just your lemon potatoes that are good," he complimented, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" She was mildly confused at what he was implying.
"Well, I just mean.." He stared awkwardly off to the side. "You're an excellent cook in general. Before you were around, I always ate take-out, and while most places are good for that... It'd been years since I had a home-cooked meal. Something tastes better about it." The faintest blush had crossed his features, and he looked awkward and uncomfortable. Sakura thought he looked adorable. He was so awkward sometimes.
"Oh, um, thanks," she replied just as awkwardly, turning ten shades of red. "I'm just glad you like it. I don't think I'm some sort of master chef, but... I'm glad someone enjoys it." Hearing those words from him, she felt elated. Cooking made her so happy, and to hear that he enjoyed it just made that better. It made her feel good about her capabilities.
"Anyway, uh, the fire's all ready to go whenever you want to get that started." He looked at the salad, which right now she was putting the finishing pieces on. "If you just need to stir that, I can do that while you get the fire going." He pointed to the salad.
"Oh, sure," she said as she stepped away from the bowl, quickly washing her hands. "Just give it a good stir and pour the dressing over it and make sure it's mixed really well. I'll go get the fire going." She was quick to exit the back door, matches in hand, as she moved toward the fire. Her heart was racing from that conversation. She couldn't understand why she felt this way. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before around anyone. Only he seemed to have that effect on her; he could make her feel dizzy, make her heart race like this, make her feel like nothing else around them mattered.
With the fire going, she relished in the warmth, smiling softly. Maybe her conversation with Ino would help her figure out what it was she was feeling. Sakura had never experienced love, but if she had to describe it, this was probably the kind of feeling she'd describe. Pure joy and happiness. Piling a couple of logs on, she slid the grate over the fire and moved toward the back door, grabbing two of the folding chairs and a small folding table and setting them up on the beach. A late-night swim was definitely something she was going to do tonight, without question. If she could convince Sasuke, then...
The thoughts and images that ran through her head only made her blush more. Ino had been right. This was going to be an incredibly romantic weekend if everything went right. Sakura wasn't sure they'd go as far as Ino had implied, though. She wasn't sure she was ready for that just yet.
A thought did dawn on her, though... what about Sasuke? Someone like him, surely he'd been with a few girls... Undoubtedly he was more experienced than she was. That thought made her feel mildly dejected; she felt like maybe she was missing out on something having no experience in that area. Plus, what if other girls had been better in that regard for him? What if she couldn't live up to the expectations he'd already had set for him? Sitting in her beach chair, Sakura suddenly felt deeply self-conscious, looking down at herself. Why couldn't she feel like she was enough for once in her life? It wasn't as if Sasuke had ever made her feel like anything less.
"Snap out of it, you dummy," she scolded herself, standing up and coming back inside. Sasuke was putting the salad in the fridge to set for a bit before they ate. He tilted his head at her curiously before speaking.
"Want to go for a swim?" He asked, wishing he didn't feel so out of place asking such a thing. He considered swimming without his shirt but thought better of it; he wasn't quite at that point yet. He would keep it on for the time being.
"Oh, um, sure. We have some time to kill while the logs burn down to coals anyway." She smiled at him. "I'll just, um, go get changed." She ducked upstairs and was quick to change into her bathing suit; it was a simple bikini that she paired with a sheer pink cover, giving her a little dignity out of the water. She grabbed a couple of towels and made her way back down, suddenly feeling playful.
"Last one to the water's a loser!" She called suddenly, rushing at the door.