A/N: Sorry for the late update. Like I said, I have lots of projects going on in my life, and fanfiction often gets pushed to the wayside. Nevertheless, I AM committed to finishing this one.

"So, how was last night, brother?" asked Kankuro.

Gaara put down his coffee and smiled. "Oh, it was fantastic! You won't believe what finally happened to me!"

"What?"

"I got my first kiss!"

"Really? Hey, good going!"

Gaara and Kankuro exchanged a high five.

"How was your night?" asked Gaara.

"It was cool. I hung out with some babes, but nothing much came out of it."

"Be optimistic! You never know what's gonna come your way!"

"That reminds me: Why the snarky letter?"

"Hey, when one gets that first kiss with one of the most beautiful women ever, one has every right to leave snarky letters!"

After breakfast, Gaara freshened up, prepped his lunch and got dressed for work before heading out the door. As he was walking to his GTO, he heard a horn honking. He looked out to the road and saw Naruka's Chevelle parked near the end of his driveway, so he walked over.

"Hey boy, how 'bout a ride?" asked Naruka.

"I can drive myself, but thanks for the offer!" said Gaara.

"Are you sure? I was planning on driving by your store anyways, so I figured maybe we could help the planet and save some gas, plus we could spend time with each other!"

Gaara stroked his chin. "Well…when you put it that way…I accept!"

Naruka gave a thumbs up. "Grand! Let's go!"

On the way to Michael's, Naruka had an Eagles tape playing. The current song was "The Long Run".

"Naruka, I can't thank you enough for last night." Gaara smiled. "I knew that my first kiss was going to be something special, but I didn't know it was going to feel like that!"

"Babe, are you seriously telling me you've NEVER been kissed before?"

"Barring my sister Temari…no."

Naruka gasped. "NOT EVEN BY YOUR PARENTS!?"

"Well…no…"

"Oh, you poor guy! If you need any more of my affections, you can have them any time you want!"

Naruka placed a hand on one of Gaara's thighs, causing him to blush and gently remove it.

"I think we'd better keep both hands on the wheel…" said Gaara.

Naruka giggled. "Oh, you're so silly! Doesn't everybody in New England drive with one hand on the wheel?"

"I uh…didn't want us to crash or anything like that."

Naruka kept giggling. "Babe, I've been through my fair share of snowstorms! I'm pretty sure I can operate a motor vehicle one-handed!"

"Whatever you say, my darling!"

Eventually, Naruka and Gaara reached Michael's.

"Hey, thanks for the ride, Naruka!"

"You're welcome! I had fun talking with you! Have a good day!"

Naruka kissed Gaara again. Though brief, it nevertheless sent the latter's heart soaring.

"You too!"

Gaara waved at Naruka as he got out of the car, marching into the store with a renewed sense of satisfaction. Granted, he still didn't want to go to work, but he felt that as long as one of his objectives was going well, things would work out.

Throughout the day, there were a few customers who asked Gaara what he felt were dumb questions, but overall, there wasn't too much going on with him, although he got to spend another break with Matsuri.

"Gaara, you seem brighter today. Everything going well?"

"Everything is awesome! I couldn't ask for anything more!"

"I'm glad to hear it! Say, where's your car? Don't you usually drive yourself here?"

"Well, I had a friend drive me today. Figured I could save some wear and tear on the old Goat."

Matsuri's eyes lit up when she heard this. "I had no idea you cared about the environment!"

"Actually, it was mostly her idea; I just couldn't refuse."

"This friend…tell me more about her." Matsuri interlocked her fingers and rested her head on her hands.

"I've told you about her. She's the blonde woman I took out for coffee the night prior."

"Are you two…?"

"Yes!"

"And did you…?"

"Well...we haven't gotten to that point yet, but I did get my first kiss from her."

"Gaara, I'm so happy for you!"

Matsuri got up from her seat and hugged Gaara. Every second that he continued existing, he felt better and better about his own life.

"Thank you, Matsuri! I'm happy for you, too!"

"Awww!"

Eventually, Matsuri let go of Gaara.

Nothing notable happened for the rest of the day, until Naruka came to pick him up. After that, they shared another session in the gym before heading on their way to Glocester. Along the way, they listened to a Def Leppard tape, which was blaring "Photograph".

"Hey Naruka, I have a question..."

"Yes…?"

"Can we drive down to George Allen Road?"

"Why, what's over there?"

Gaara winked at Naruka. "You'll see."

Eventually, Naruka pulled over on George Allen Road and shut the car off. After getting out, Gaara led Naruka through the foliage off the side of the road and to a small clearing overlooking the Ponaganset Reservoir.

"What's this?" asked Naruka.

Gaara smiled. "My secret Place of Solitude."

"Place of Solitude, huh?"

Gaara sat down on a rocky outcropping. "Yes, it is. I go here whenever I need a place to reconnect with nature or to escape the rest of the world."

Naruka sat down, and then straddled Gaara, who blushed.

"N-Naruka…what are you doing!?"

Naruka placed her hands on Gaara's shoulders. "Well now it's your secret makeout place!"

Naruka kissed Gaara again. Helpless against her touch, he wrapped his arms around her and let her make out with him. In this cold weather, her softness brought him a warmth unlike any other. The sound of her gentle lips smacking against his gave him an electric sensation up and down his spine. In spite of the fact that he'd already done this before, he found it no less welcoming, and in fact, it was probably even more welcoming this time around. He couldn't tell if she was wearing that much makeup, but he loved her taste, nonetheless. Eventually, Naruka stopped kissing Gaara, but she continued holding him and locking eyes with him.

"N-Naruka..."

"Yes, honey?"

"I don't ever want to do anything else."

"And there you go again, silly!"

"Go again with what?"

"Being one of the sweetest guys I've ever met! In fact, you're so sweet that I'm giving you a special treat!"

"Which is...?"

"I'm gonna let you come over my house tonight! Believe it!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Naruka giggled. "Of course I'm sure!"

"Naruka, as much as I enjoy being with you, I'm not so sure we should be doing this yet."

Naruka pouted. "Are you saying you don't want to come over?"

"I'm not saying that, I just…"

"But I have no friends over here, and I get lonely at night!"

"I'm sorry to hear that. Really, I am. I just feel that maybe we should get to know each other a little better before we embark on trips to each other's houses."

Naruka's eyes sparkled. "Come on, Gaara, I know a sweetheart like you wouldn't leave a pretty young woman like me to die alone…would you?"

Gaara couldn't believe what Naruka was doing. Was she really trying to guilt trip him into coming over? He didn't want to fall for her ruse, but then again, he too got lonely at night, even living in the same house with Kankuro. Nevertheless, he figured it could be fun.

"No, of course I wouldn't." Gaara smiled.

"So you're coming over?" said Naruka.

"Yes, absolutely!"

"Awesome!"

Naruka kissed Gaara again.

"Just let me go back home first," said Gaara. "I have to grab a few things."

"OK!"

After stopping at Gaara's house so he could get a few of his personal effects, Naruka and Gaara headed on to Naruka's house. It was a dilapidated-looking two-story home, but when they stepped inside, Gaara was wowed by the condition of the interior.

"Naruka, this is even nicer than my place!"

"You like?"

"I love!"

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome! Believe it!"

"So, what did you want to do now?"

"I'm actually kinda hungry, so let's have supper, huh?"

"OK. What did you have in mind?"

"Just sit tight and let me wow you!"

Gaara did as he was told and took a seat at Naruka's dinner table. Meanwhile, Naruka grabbed a pot, some utensils and a bunch of ingredients and got to work. The sound of the water boiling proved quite relaxing to Gaara's ears. He had a feeling about what Naruka was going to make for them, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he let the smell of fresh vegetables caress his nose. What really intrigued him was the scent of pork cooking. Having put two and two together, he quickly deduced what she was making...

"Here it comes, boy!"

Naruka set down two bowls of piping-hot ramen. As soon as she was seated, she noticed Gaara with his hands clasped together and his head lowered.

"Babe, what are you doing?" asked Naruka.

Gaara raised his head. "At my house, it's customary to pray before we eat."

"OK, but what do we pray to?"

"Just thank God for making all of this possible, you know: the food, the companionship...everything. Actually, you can let me do the talking."

Naruka nodded. Then, she clasped her hands together and bowed her head.

"Dear God, thank you for providing us with the ingredients to make this meal possible," said Gaara. "May they return to the earth, to be born once again. And thank you for bringing us together as companions, that we may create happy memories with each other for the time we are together. Amen."

With that, Gaara and Naruka started eating. The former froze after taking a single bite.

"Gaara?"

"Naruka, this is GREAT ramen! Where did you get the recipe?"

"I came up with it myself! Believe it!"

"Well, you've done a very good job of it!"

"Awww...thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

Gaara and Naruka continued eating.

"Naruka, tell me something...

"What?"

"How many friends did you have back in Boston?"

"Well, I didn't have a lot of close friends, but pretty much everybody in school knew my name."

"Seems like you were pretty famous back there."

Naruka nodded. "It wasn't always easy, but it was interesting."

"Truth be told, I was pretty famous in my school, but not for the right reasons." Gaara frowned.

"You weren't a bully in school...were you?"

"No, not really. I was just one of those anti-social types who hated everybody else. Usually, people left me alone, but I did get into a few fights."

"Oh my god! You didn't get kicked out...did you?"

"Thankfully not, but I did get in some serious trouble."

"But you're OK now, right?"

"As I once mentioned to you, it's not something I like to talk about. Even today, there are still a few hurdles I've yet to clear."

Naruka got up from her chair, moved it to where Gaara was and hugged him.

"I know I'm not a therapist," said Naruka, "but I'd like you to know that you can talk with me if there's anything you need to get off your chest."

Gaara smiled. "Thanks again! I know you say that I'm sweet, but have you ever looked at yourself?"

"Come here, you!"

Naruka gave Gaara a kiss on the cheek.

"So, do you have any other plans for this wonderful evening?" asked Gaara.

"Well, I was wondering: do you like video games?"

Gaara smiled. "I love video games! Do you have any favorites?"

"Several! Does it matter which one we play?"

"I'm happy with whichever one you choose!"

Once they'd finished supper, Naruka and Gaara headed to the living room, where the former ended up popping in a copy of Mario Kart 64. For their first race, Naruka chose to play as Yoshi, while Gaara chose to play as Wario. It was a regular race on Luigi Raceway.

"Ready to lose, boy?" asked Naruka.

"Only if you are!" said Gaara.

And so, the race was on. Overall, it was a white-knuckle, no-holds-barred, neck-and-neck fight to the finish. Towards the end, it looked as though Naruka was going to win, but thanks to a last-minute mushroom, Gaara won the race.

"Why would you do that?" Naruka pouted. "That wasn't fair!"

"According to all rules and regulations, it was entirely fair," said Gaara.

"Oh yeah!? Well, you're really gonna get it next time!"

For the next race, Naruka and Gaara headed to Moo Moo Farm. This race was no less intense than the previous one. Thanks to a red shell that he fired at Naruka just before she could cross the finish line, Gaara won yet again.

"All right, you're really starting to annoy me!" said Naruka.

"Then maybe you should play better," said Gaara.

"Well maybe I will!"

This time, the action took place at Koopa Troopa Beach. For most of this one, Naruka was ahead…that is, until Gaara struck her with a lightning bolt and ran her over, causing him to win the race. Naruka gritted her teeth and growled.

"WHY YOU…!"

Naruka lunged at Gaara, put him in a headlock and pressed him against her chest.

"Naruka, NO!" Gaara flailed about, trying to escape, but it was no use.

"How does it feel now, hm?"

"Please! There's no need to be a sore loser!"

"Well maybe I wouldn't be so sore if you didn't cheat all the time!"

"I wasn't trying to cheat, I…YOWCH!"

Naruka tugged at Gaara's head. "Sure!"

"Let me go! I can't breathe!"

"Tell you what: admit that you were a cheater and I'll let you go. Fair enough?"

"ALL RIGHT! You win! I'm sorry!"

Naruka smiled and let Gaara go. The latter gasped for air, and his face was red.

"You know," said Gaara, "if you weren't one of my favorite women on the planet, I would've crushed your pretty little head with my thighs."

Naruka smiled. "Boy, I would love to see you try!"

"Trust me, you wouldn't."

"What's the matter, Gaara? Chicken?" Naruka made some fairly-convincing clucking sounds.

"OK, forget it. Let's just do something that doesn't involve me getting suffocated by your breasts."

"Sure thing. What do you wanna do next?"

Gaara stroked his chin. "Hmmm…" Then, he snapped his fingers. "I know! Why don't we listen to some music?"

"Sure thing! Anything in particular you wanted to listen to?"

"Not really. I'm comfortable with whatever you choose."

"Well, why don't we go with one of your tunes?"

"As you wish…" Gaara pulled out his phone. "Your hi-fi system doesn't have Bluetooth, does it?"

"It does. Just look for 'Home Hi-Fi 103'."

Gaara nodded. "Right."

After connecting his phone to Naruka's hi-fi, Gaara put on "Unstoppable Force" by Agent Steel and began headbanging. Naruka's eyes widened, and she dropped her jaw when the song got going.

"Gaara, what is this!?"

Gaara stopped headbanging briefly. "It's one of my favorite thrash metal songs! Isn't it great?"

"Shut it off! You're gonna blow out my speakers with this violent crap!"

"As you wish."

Reluctantly, Gaara shut off the song.

"Wouldn't you rather listen to something more…relaxing?" asked Naruka.

"Like what?"

Naruka pulled out her phone. "Like this…"

Naruka put on "Lights" by Journey. Then, she walked over to Gaara, placed a hand on his waist and grabbed his hand with her other one.

"May I have this dance?" asked Naruka.

Gaara smiled and nodded.

Thus, the two began waltzing around the living room. Never in Gaara's life had he felt more relaxed or happy. He had absolutely nothing in the world to compare it to. In the past, he would've dismissed the whole thing as some "wuss crap", but now that somebody had touched his heart in that special way that only a significant other could do, he embraced it wholeheartedly. Gaara found the lyrics of the song very relatable as well, particularly the part about being lonely. Nevertheless, with Naruka here, he truly felt as though he'd gotten to that mythical "city by the bay".

Naruka too, felt as though she'd found true happiness. With every step she took, every sway of her hips, she became one with the music. Knowing that she'd found somebody else to share this with made her feel that her heart and Gaara's were truly one. What was especially comforting to her was that a guy whom she wouldn't have expected to share in such a magical moment was indeed sharing in it with her. Overall, Naruka was feeling quite groovy, and lost herself to the playlist of ballads she'd set up for such an occasion. By the time the playlist got to the last song, the two lovebirds couldn't have been more overjoyed.

"Thank you for dancing with me," said Gaara. "That more than makes up for the fact that I skipped my junior and senior proms."

Naruka dropped her jaw. "Gaara, why would you even do that?"

"I was a different person back then. I couldn't have given less of a crap about going to what I viewed as such frivolous wastes of time."

"But they're your junior and senior proms! They're like once-in-a-lifetime opportunities! Hell, I even got Sasuke to go! Believe it!"

"Now now, I'm sure if somebody with your sort of charm had been around, even I could've been convinced into going."

"Well, what's past is past." Naruka's smile returned. "But, you get to look forward to cuddling with me!"

"I do? Nice! Say, what time is it…?" Gaara checked his phone, which read 8:35 PM. "Yeah, it's getting rather late. I don't have work tomorrow, but I still like to get a good night's sleep in."

"Then let's not screw around anymore! Let's get ready, babe!"

Because they'd already showered at the gym, Naruka and Gaara didn't end up taking one, but they did brush, floss and change into their pajamas. Gaara also took one of his pills before climbing into bed with Naruka.

"Gaara, what was that you just took?"

"That? Oh, just a sleeping pill."

"You don't have trouble sleeping, do you?"

"Not as bad as I used to, but I still find the pills helpful."

"It's OK, I don't judge people for stuff like that! All that matters to me is that you're taking care of yourself!"

"Thank you again! I feel blessed to know a woman like you!"

"And I feel blessed knowing a man like you! Good night!"

Naruka turned off her bedside lamp and cozied up to Gaara. If things kept going the way they were going, he figured that his life was about to change for the better.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.