Disclaimer
Neither the characters nor the story are of my property, they belong to their respective authors.
This story is a dark stalker romance with extreme dubious situations.
Please proceed with caution.
Sakura
"Oh my God, have I got the guy for you," Ino gushes to me at work. "You're going to freaking love him."
"I don't think so." I grimace, pushing away the remnants of my sandwich. "I still haven't completely recovered from the mess that was Dr. Yakushi."
My friends cringe and Tenten reaches for my hand, saying, "I totally understand the hesitation, but you really wanted to meet someone before all this happened, didn't you?"
"I guess," I mutter.
I don't want to admit the truth, which is that I've been feeling more than ready for a relationship for years now. The crippling loneliness of sharing my apartment with nobody but my cats is getting to me, and just for once in my life, I want to have someone who supports me, who pushes me forward just like I've always pushed myself. I'd revealed my innermost thoughts with my friends weeks ago, before the mess with Dr. Yakushi. I know they want to help me because they love me, and want the best for me, but I really don't think I'm ready for somebody to break my bubble.
"Please," Ino pleads with me. "I swear, this guy is different. I just know you'll like him."
"Where did you meet him?" I ask her cautiously.
"At the coffee shop down the street from my apartment," she grins. "He was great with the kids."
"So why not keep him for yourself?" I wink at her.
"Too young," she shrugs with a devilish smile. "But believe me when I say he's charming, and sexy. Plus, you could cut your tongue on that jaw of his."
"Anything else you want to add?" I giggle. "Please convince me you don't want him, because I'm sure not getting that impression."
She shakes her head vehemently, convincing me the guy is perfect for me and she knew it the second she met him. After half an hour of both her and Tenten convincing me to meet the guy, I finally cave and agree to meet him. The girls are delighted, and a triumphant Ino fires off some texts before letting me know my date will pick me up at seven at my apartment. I want to regret agreeing to the whole thing, but something tells me this might be exciting, and as butterflies start to flutter in my stomach, I begin to wonder what the guy will be like.
Itachi, Ino said his name was.
I try the name on my lips as I get ready for him that evening. I shower and take special care to shave. Everything, from my legs to my armpits and my pussy. I hesitate before I do it, lingering with the razor over the curls on my pussy. But then I run it over, getting rid of the hair. I scrub myself with strawberry body polish and apply lightly scented lotion. I'm reminded of getting ready for my last date, with Kabuto, but quickly banish the thought from my head.
Picking out a light pink lingerie set, I slide into a simple blue dress after. Two spritzes of perfume and some quick makeup, and I'm ready to go. I contemplate between my two pairs of heels – one expensive, saved for special occasions, the other a budget variation of the first which I should wear for dates – but never get the chance to pick. The doorbell goes off and I run to the door to greet my date.
I press the button for the intercom, but then there's a knock on the door. I'm not ready yet, but he's already upstairs. Fuck.
I smooth down my dress and flick my hair. Running to the door, I look out through the peephole and swallow thickly when I see the guy.
He's wearing black jeans and a leather jacket with a white shirt underneath. He's... dangerously sexy. His jaw is covered in light stubble and his eyebrows are knitted together as if he's displeased with me already. His lips are full, and he has a cigarette between them, unlit.
Right then, he looks directly into the peephole.
I jump back, quickly unlocking the door and opening it wide.
He takes his time devouring me with his eyes. The way he looks at me, from bottom to top, his eyes lingering on my bare feet, makes me feel faint. He slides his gaze over my curves, waiting a beat too long on my chest, and then up to my face. He doesn't smile when he meets my eyes, he just stares me down like he's waiting for me to faint at the sight of him or something. I'm about to write him off as cocky when something hits me.
I've seen those black-gray, stormy eyes before.
Where have I seen them?
My heart skips a beat as he finally smirks at me, removing his cigarette and asking in a deep, growly voice, "Well? Can I come in, or are you leaving barefoot?"
"Of c-course." I bite my tongue for stuttering and step aside, allowing him to enter the apartment. The cats stare at him warily from across the room. "I'll just grab my things and we can go... These are Mr. Bingley and Mrs. Hudson."
"Cute," he mutters, but his eyes never leave me, watching me walk frantically from one corner of the apartment to the other.
I grab my handbag and a light coat and stop in front of the heels again. After a moment's thought, I put on the more expensive ones, and when I turn around to face Itachi, his smirk is all-knowing, as if he knows exactly what decision I just made.
Itachi towers over me as I follow him out of the apartment, locking the door behind us. I give him a nervous smile as I follow him to the parking lot under the building.
"Which one's yours?" I motion to the cars, and he leads me to a Mercedes that looks out of place in this neighborhood. I give him a suspicious look but climb into the passenger seat without comment. The guy actually holds the door open for me and even closes it, but instead of enjoying the gentlemanly move, I feel suspiciously like he's just successfully trapped me in his car.
Still, the worry doesn't last long. Itachi is just too freaking handsome, distractingly so. As he drives us to the cinema, I nervously fold my arms in my lap and keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.
"I can feel you staring at me, you know. You're not being very sly about it."
"Oh." I flush and look out the window, so he won't notice. "Sorry. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how somebody like you knows someone like Ino."
"That's your friend, right?"
"Um, yeah." I shoot another doubtful look his way. "How well do you know her?"
"We met at a café," he shrugs.
"Just the one time?"
"She seemed pretty eager to set me up with you." He smirks and this time, it's his turn to glance at me. "Must've thought we'd work well together."
I curse Ino inwardly for setting me up with someone she barely knows. I mean, this guy could be a psycho, for fuck's sake. Ino's not worried about me at all, is she?
It almost makes me laugh because I'm not sure whether she's really so confident I'll be able to hold my own. But she has said it a thousand times, and so has Tenten. They've told me how strong I am. How proud they are of me for overcoming my past, for moving along everything I've gone through. They know all my dark secrets – the boarding school, the foster homes. They know everything, and they still love and accept me, and I adore them for it.
"So, what are we seeing?" he asks after a moment's pause, as I realize I've been holding up the conversation with my awkward silences.
"Revenge Kill Seven," I reply smoothly. "Have you seen the first six movies?" He barely stifles a laugh and I pout at him. "Oh, don't tell me you're one of those movie snobs."
"Nah. Just not a fan of D-rated horror porn."
"Neither am I." I'm so eager to defend myself.
"Sure, Sakura." My name sounds delicious on his lips, as if it belongs there. He says it with such ease, dark intent dripping from the word.
Fuck. I realize I'm sitting in a puddle of my own juices and my cheeks flare up again. What the hell is this guy doing to me? Why am I responding to him like this? It's like he's holding a magnet that pulls my body against his, an invisible force making me want to press myself up against him, feel his sculpted body hold mine.
I shake my head to get the thought out just as we pull into the parking lot of the cinema. Before I manage to so much as unbuckle, he's opening my door again, and I get out of the car, mumbling a thank you. Something about this Itachi guy unnerves me. Something's off, but I can't quite put my finger on it, and it's not enough – yet – for me to walk out on the date. It's like a delicious current is running through my body when I'm near him, my body running on sheer anticipation.
We walk inside the cinema, and I instantly feel several pairs of eyes on us. I'm sure it's not because of me, especially when I notice two women staring at Itachi hungrily. So, I'm not alone in my thoughts that he's smoking hot... the other women are seeing it too. It almost makes me feel a little smug about being there with him, and I straighten up as we walk to the entrance.
"Wait," Itachi mutters. "Don't you want some snacks?"
"Uh..." I do some quick calculations to see if I can afford it, but I don't want to deprive Itachi of a snack if he wants one, so I find myself nodding wordlessly.
Turns out, I needn't have worried about the money at all – my date picks out several bags of candy and two giant Cokes and smoothly pays for it all before handing me my cup. I fight the smile off my face and follow him into the screening room.
We take our seats at the back, and quickly realize we'll be practically alone in the room. The movie's been playing for a month now, and it seems as if the initial crowd of its fans has already seen it. There are only a few other couples in the theater beside us, and a group of teenagers who are sitting three rows before us.
There's no time to chat, and Itachi hands me a bag of candy wordlessly as the movie starts with a scene that instantly makes me scream.
I forgot just how bloody the Revenge Kill movies are, and I shiver, forgetting about my snacks as the movie unfolds on the screen.
There's a murder in the first five minutes, grisly and terrifying and I put my palm out, splaying out my fingers and looking at the screen through them. Itachi glances at me, smirking at my fear, which only makes me angry. I glare at him before returning my attention to the screen just in time to see a woman getting cut in half.
I let out a shrill scream and Itachi leans in closer, whispering, "You know this was in the trailer for the movie, right?"
"Shut up," I mutter.
We watch the movie for a while longer, and it keeps getting gorier and gorier, making me scoot closer to Itachi without really noticing it. I've jumped in terror at least half a dozen times now, and it seems to amuse Itachi more and more every time.
"You sure you can make it through this?" he whispers in my ear, and I shrug uncertainly.
The movie's scarier than I remember, and I'm shaking like a leaf. But I don't want to admit it to Itachi. I know he'd make fun of me, and I'm stubborn so it would bother me.
My teeth start chattering a little while later and this time, Itachi thankfully doesn't comment. But a moment later, his palm covers my hand on the armrest. I look at him with surprise, but he won't meet my eyes, casually eating candy with his other hand while he begins to gently stroke my hand, never taking his eyes off the screen. His touch sends shivers down my spine and makes goosebumps erupt all over my skin.
I want more.
The realization hits me like a freight train, and I dig my teeth into my bottom lip to get the thought out. I can't let myself want this guy. There's something about him, something a little... off. I don't quite trust him, and my gut feeling tells me I really, really shouldn't. But it's so hard not to let it happen... to resist the magnetic pull between us, the invisible force that's demanding me to ask for more, to beg for him to touch me, feel me, comfort me.
I bite my tongue before the words leave my lips. It's getting hard to focus on the movie. My attention is on Itachi, and I keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. I want him. I need him. I want him to make me better.
As if he can read my mind, my date slides our intertwined hands into my lap, casually interlocking his fingers. Under my dress, my legs are bare, and his fingers feel like fire against my burning skin. I want so much more it takes my breath away, but I refuse to admit it to Itachi. Once again, I try to focus on the film, but it's as if he senses that and is determined not to allow it. He begins stroking my hand again, soft, gentle and comforting strokes that instantly make me feel better. He draws circles in the palm of my hand every time something terrifying happens on the screen, and it's the perfect distraction from my pounding heart.
Somewhere around the middle of the movie, Itachi pulls our hands onto his lap. I'm instantly scared, and the feeling grows when I feel something as hard as a rock. I flush, thankful to the dimmed lights of the theater for not giving me away. I hope he won't try to make me touch him... or maybe I hope he does... Fuck.
But Itachi's the perfect gentleman. He keeps silently comforting me with light, sweet touches, and I keep blushing every time I accidentally brush my fingers against his growing bulge. I made him hard. I did that. I made his cock swell with need and desire, and the mere thought turns me on so much I'm nearly panting. I swallow my gasps, but it's hopeless – by the end of the movie, I don't even pretend to know what happened on the screen.
As the credits roll, Itachi lets go of my hand and I self-consciously pull it back. He doesn't say a word as the lights come on, and I put on my jacket, following him out of the cinema and wondering whether he'll address what happened in there.
He doesn't.
I hide my disappointment as we walk to a restaurant a block away from the movie theater. He talks about the movie, but I don't really participate in the conversation. I don't get him. Why try and comfort me only to pretend as if nothing happened at all?
"So, you like to punish yourself, don't you?"
I look at Itachi, the faint hint of a smile still playing on his lips. "Why are you asking me that?"
"You picked the movie. A horror movie, even though you spent most of the time watching it through your fingers. You were scared."
"So?" I'm instantly defensive.
"So, why do it if you don't actually enjoy it?" He taunts me with his smirk. "I think you're a glutton for self-punishment, Sakura."
My heart skips a beat every time he uses my full name, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I refuse to answer, glaring at the floor. When I still went to see my therapist, this was her opinion, too – that I liked to hurt myself.
I'd spent years self-harming, but now my poison of choice was horror flicks. I'd binge watch them at home, forcing myself to sit through the most graphic scenes with my heart pounding and my head filled with terrible ideas of what could happen to me. Of course, this was something my therapist dug out of me after years of sessions.
It only took Itachi one date.
The hostess in the restaurant guides us to a romantic table for two. The setting is perfect, with a single red rose in a vase on the table, and a candle burning next to it. It's romantic, sweet and fills me with hope... hope that Itachi puts out with every second we spend at the table.
He doesn't speak much. We order our food and after that, he spends an eternity just staring at me while I fumble with my cloth napkin. I fold it over my lap at least four times until I've finally had enough of his prying eyes devouring me.
We eat our appetizers and he still doesn't say a word. Just keeps staring at me with those cool eyes while he devours his food like a wolf.
"Okay, what's your deal?" I finally ask, putting down my fork and glaring at my date over the table. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Like what?" He takes a sip of wine, never taking his eyes off me.
"Like you're... ugh, forget it." I stab at my salad and keep glaring at him. "It's unnerving. Do you do this to everyone?"
"No," he replies easily. "Just to people who hate it."
"Great." I eat a cherry tomato and shoot daggers at him with my eyes. "I guess I should be honored, then."
"Definitely."
I put my fork down and cross my arms. "I don't get you."
"Not many people do."
"It bothers me."
"Join the club." He winks at me and downs his glass of wine. "Enjoying the date, are you?"
"No," I hiss. "I don't get why we're even here. I don't get why you're acting so hot and cold. Why even go out with me if you're not interested?"
"Oh, I'm interested." He puts his cutlery down on the plate, never taking his eyes off mine as the waiter takes away our empty dishes. "I'm very interested, Sakura."
"Doesn't seem like it," I mutter. "Can you answer one question for me?"
"Depends what it is." His eyes get darker, filled with delicious intent, but it only makes me more upset. I want to know more about him, but I'm getting annoyed by his attitude.
"Why are you with me?" I demand, ready to wrap this night and go back to my safety.