Sasuke groaned and slipped further down his chair. He was practically laying half way down on the floor, and all he could think about was how much of an idiot he was being at the moment.

To get his thoughts off of the Swedish eye candy, he had only minutes earlier called that Ino girl that always seemed to stalk him at school. She'd almost screamed into the phone when she answered it, obviously thrilled about him calling her. He had asked her to go to the movies later that night, and maybe grab a bite to eat right before it, and of course he had offered to give her a ride both over there and home afterwards. Oh how he regretted it now, when he finally realized what a night from hell he was up for. He didn't even like that girl as a friend, and the only reason he had her number was because they had been partners in a project from school that required that they worked together during their free time.

He sighed and crawled up from his position, stretching while grimacing just by the thought of spending a few hours with the blonde girl. He decided that he should simply do what he did best; suck it up and get it over with. When his mother had asked him if he had any plans for the night, she had seemed overly positive about his so called date with Ino. It was a huge relief when his parents left the building to go to Florida. Sasuke guessed that his mother was so excited partly because she still had troubles accepting that he didn't like girls, and partly because she had met the girl earlier and thought that she was simply adorable. Sasuke had to admit, the girl knew how to charm his parents.

He sighed again and made his way into the bathroom, undressed and stepped into the shower. The hot water loosened up his muscles and he even allowed himself to actually think that he could get out of the date somehow. He then groaned and told himself to just grow the balls and do it. Who knew, maybe it would be fun? He doubted that, but it couldn't hurt to try to manipulate his brain into looking forward to spending the night with Ino.

The beeping sound of his phone made him snap out of it, finish up and get out of the shower. He dried his dripping hair and then tied a towel around his hips and got back in his room. He grabbed the phone, expecting a text from Ino about how she couldn't find something fitting to wear or something like that, and therefore stared at the screen for a few seconds when the name 'Naruto Uzumaki' blinked on it. He hesitated, but ended up opening the message anyway.

"I just got pushed into the water with my phone still in my shorts. It survived, but I almost had a heart attack there! How are things in the big city?"

Sasuke swallowed dryly when the image of Naruto in shorts, drenched in water dripping down his chest flickered by in his mind. He had avoided looking at any more pictures of the guy, since the last time he did it, he almost died right on the spot. He used a few seconds to think before he came up with something to reply with.

"Congratulations to saving your dear phone! I'm getting ready for a date. You?"

He put his phone on the desk and went to get dressed. He had been thinking about how Ino might get the wrong idea if he showed up in a suit, but on the other hand, they'd be going to a rather fancy restaurant where a lot of people probably would recognize him as one of the sons from the Uchiha Industries. He'd rather just wear jeans and a sweatshirt, but to play it safe and avoid a scolding from his father, he chose the suit.

As he grabbed one of his many suits, his phone beeped again, which made him simply put the clothes on the chair and then go for the phone. This time, he picked it up expecting an answer from Naruto, and got slightly disappointed as Ino's name blinked on the screen. He sighed and opened the message.

"I'm ready to go when you are. I'm wearing a black dress, so we'll match regardless of what you're putting on! So excited!"

He rolled his eyes and answered with a simple 'I'll be there in thirty minutes', put down his phone and went to get dressed. He chose a simple black tie to go with the dark suit, dragged out one of the pairs of black shoes and was ready to go within five minutes. He realized that he probably should do something about the mess he called his hair, and went to the bathroom to puff up the back and part his hair in the front. It still hadn't been more than ten minutes since he answered her text, and it, sadly, only took him ten minutes to drive to her house.

The beeping was heard once again, and Sasuke just prayed for it to be Naruto. He thanked whatever god that had listened to him when his wish was granted, and opened the new text from the blonde.

"Sweet! Is she hot? I want details later, dude. Nothing new here, just me, Sakura and a couple of friends on a boat. Not complaining, though!"

It took Sasuke a few seconds to figure out who this Sakura was, and when he did, he couldn't help gritting his teeth. He didn't really know what to answer, so he simply put his phone in his pocket along with his wallet and keys before he went downstairs to grab his jacket. Itachi was watching TV and eating a cup of noodles out in the living room, and when Sasuke said goodbye, all he got back was a halfhearted wave.

When he reached the car, he finally came up with a good answer to Naruto. He reached for his phone and opened their conversation.

"How do you know it's a she? Tell your friends I said hi."

He didn't specify 'friends', but it certainly didn't include that girlfriend of his. Not that she had done him any harm, but it bugged him that she could be around that hotness while he was on the other side of the world.

He started the car and started driving down the street, made a left turn and kept driving for a few minutes until he had to make another left. When he got to Ino's place, he stopped the car and glanced towards the digital clock. It was still five minutes until he was supposed to pick her up, so he grabbed his phone to see if the blonde had answered him yet. He had indeed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to assume. But, are you saying you're gay? For real? And thanks, I had to tell them the whole story about us. Sakura wishes you good luck with the date, btw."

Sasuke smiled, amused by the reaction he got. Naruto didn't seem to think that it was weird or gross, unlike his mother, who had bugged him for several days about how she knew a daughter of some business colleague that she could hook him up with. Sasuke was about to just ignore the comment Sakura had made, but realized that it would be simply rude to just avoid her all the time.

"What if I am? And, what story about us? Tell her I said thanks."

He pressed send and glanced towards the clock again. Time to pick her up. He clicked his way to her number, pressed call and put the phone to his ear. It only took one signal before she picked up.

"Hi Sasuke!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Ino. I'm outside. You coming?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm coming, I'll be there in a minute."

Sasuke sighed silently at her squeaky voice, but forced a smile on his lips.

"Alright, take your time."

They hung up. He double checked his and Naruto's conversation so that he didn't miss a possible reply, but had to just accept the fact that he had to focus on Ino from now on. After all, the reason he asked her out in the first place was to forget about the swede.

A minute later, the door on the passenger side opened and a scent of perfume consumed the car. It was a strong scent, but it actually smelled pretty good. Ino sat down, put her purse on the floor and reached over to hug Sasuke. Her smile was so big, he almost felt bad for using her like that. He hugged her back and put a small smile on his lips. Showtime.

"Hi, Ino. Good to see you again."

He could literally see his words sinking in, and it only made her smile even bigger.

"Heeey, yea, it's so good to see you too, Sasuke! It's been a while."

He smirked and nodded, turning to start the car.

"You look beautiful tonight. Ready to go?"

A blush started to cover her cheeks, a reaction he got from a lot of girls, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Ready. So, where are we going?"

Sasuke got the car moving down the street and took a right turn.

"I got us a table at Masa. It's a Japanese place. Ever heard of it?"

He could see the eyes of the girl widen as she heard the name of the restaurant.

"Yea… Yea I've heard of it. How'd you manage to get a table there?"

Sasuke smiled, thankful that he had the last name that he had.

"I pulled some strings."

The rest of the trip went by with Ino rambling about school, work and other things that only required a 'hm' from Sasuke here and there, which fitted him perfectly. They parked and got out of the car, and Sasuke got a chance to actually see what Ino was wearing. He had to admit it, she looked very feminine and grown up, in a good way. She was wearing a long, black dress and had her hair in a high ponytail, accessorized with a red rose and just enough make up to get that kind of 'I spent some time on it but I don't really care'-look. If he had played for the other team, he might actually have fallen for her looks.

She grabbed his arm as they walked over to the restaurant, where a tall man with a wide smile asked for Sasuke's last name and then showed them to their table. It was a rather small place, but it also had a very high class on everything; from the decoration to the actual food.

Ino looked around her, amazed, and sat down while placing her purse next to her. Sasuke called the closest waitress and said something about whine before he took his place on the other side of the table. They chatted for a while until it was time for them to order their food. The waitress rambled on and on about how if they wondered something or needed anything, all they had to do was to ask her. Sasuke knew that she recognized him, and therefore, he couldn't wait to just get rid of her. He had enough with one lady with expectations to spend the evening with.

"So," Ino began when the waitress left, "I was really surprised when you called."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows in a try to look startled, and he probably succeeded, since Ino laughed and flattened her dress.

"I mean, you can have any girl you want, and then you decide to take me on a date!"

Sasuke snickered and intertwined his fingers.

"I just thought it was time we got to know each other."

Ino was blushing again. God, it was way too easy to charm these girls. He hadn't even said anything that flattering yet, and still, she was acting like that. He forced another smile.

"I mean, we've been in the same class since kindergarten."

Ino laughed again and nodded her head, and then went on babbling about how she always tried to get his attention, but had failed for years.

"I guess you finally noticed me!"

She looked very pleased with herself, and Sasuke let her.

The waitress brought them their whine, and, after a few more minutes, their food. They started eating, Sasuke just throwing in an 'hm' and a 'yea' when it fitted while Ino talked. When they had finished, they ordered their desserts and got their plates taken away, making room on the table. Sasuke didn't notice at first, but Ino had moved her hands closer and closer to Sasuke's, and suddenly, she leaned forward to gently hold them. Sasuke looked up at her, a bit caught off guard.

"You know," she paused to look down for a few seconds before meeting his gaze again, a devilish smile playing on her lips, "I have a surprise for you later."