Chapter 44: Admissions at Night
The mood in the house was a little muted after we returned from the latest judges' evaluation, but then again, that's standard issue whenever someone goes home.
Shino was now the latest person to leave the house, but I don't think it really set in for some people until Suigetsu announced that now that he was gone, Gaara could now have his bed. Though he was correct, the redhead was in no rush to claim it, opting to go one more night without it out of respect for our recently departed fellow model.
Right now, while everyone was asleep, Gaara was somewhere else in the house while I hunkered down in the living room working on my latest drawing in my sketchbook: a collective sketch of some of the light sources that were used during the photoshoot.
It was a little difficult to recall all of them, but I was managing a decent job so far.
"Back to your artwork I see . . ."
Looking up, I find Gaara standing in the doorway, dressed in a pair of gray lounge pants and a black shirt with a raccoon's face on the front and the words I'm A Trash Panda! circled around it in bubble letters.
Even though he leaned more on the serious side, seeing Gaara wearing that shirt was pretty funny.
"Why do I have the sudden feeling that you didn't get that shirt on your own free will?" I couldn't help but ask as I pointed to his top. "It's cool and has a funny design, but I seriously can't picture you walking into a store, seeing it on a rack, and immediately going, 'Yeah, this is the one for me!'"
"That's because I didn't buy it myself," He admits, sheepishly looking down at his shirt as he steps into the room. "It was a birthday gift from Kankuro."
"Now that!" I say as I juggled my pencil around my fingers. "That sounds more believable!"
"At first, I wasn't too happy with it because I knew he only did it for a good laugh at my expense," He replies, shaking his head. "I wanted to throw it away then and there, but then I realized, well, why waste a good shirt?"
"So, your logic won out after all then . . . Good!" I say as I slam my book shut. "It would have been a damn good waste of a perfectly good shirt if you did throw it away, and besides, you look good in it."
"I do?" He asks as I slide my book off to the side. When I looked back up, Gaara was only a couple feet away from me, looking unsure as he gazed at the smiling raccoon on his shirt.
"Yeah; the top obviously fits you well, and the cartoon raccoon and the bubble words help to show that you have a decent sense of humor," I further say as I stretch out my back. "Good looking and doesn't take himself seriously? Girls tend to be attracted to that kind of thing."
"And would you include yourself in that line of thinking?"
"Well, yeah, I guess," I admit as he sits down next to me, his eyes widening slightly at my words. "What?"
"You guess?" Gaara asks, looking slightly perplexed. "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that I've made that conclusion more out of what I appreciate in seeing in a guy more than actually dating one," I say as I start cracking my knuckles. "In other words, I don't date much back home."
"How come? You're smart, witty, charming, beautiful. . ." He trails off, and I think his face got pinker with each word he spoke. "There haven't been that many guys willing to ask you out?"
"Eyes like ours don't really help us in the dating game, don't you think?"
"Well, fair," He concedes, not even taking a moment to think it over. "But insomnia isn't the only reason for your, well, lack of dating experience, is it?"
"I tend to be quite cautious when it comes to prospective dates. . . Plus, having an overprotective father figure and two best friends that are more than willing to go out of their way to do full on background checks on potential suitors, kinda makes the dating pool feel a bit limiting," I say, smirking.
"What about Naruto?"
"He tends to not interfere, thankfully. He tends to be more hands off unless the guy is completely flying red flags," I say. "What about you? What's your dating life been like?"
"Um, you know that as the son of the mayor of a major city, I've had to make my fair share of appearances at public events, right?"
"I figured that came with the territory of being a major politician's son. . ." I say, a sudden thought coming to my brain. "Gaara, don't tell me that you got paired off with some other politician's children at these events."
"Okay, I did not get paired off with other politician's children at these events," he says, looking a little sheepish. "I got paired off with politician's children, donors to my father's campaigns' children, CEO's children. . . Apparently, it didn't make for a pretty picture for the mayor's youngest son to always be pictured alone at the charity gala."
"What about Kankuro and Temari? Were they paired off with strangers too?"
"Oh, they were paired off alright, with each other mostly, but sometimes they were in the company of others that weren't family."
"So, while my dating life has been hindered by my overprotective father figure, best friends, and overall cautiousness, your dating life pretty much boils down to who you end up getting matched with at the next ribbon-cutting ceremony?"
"When you put it that way . . . yes," he tells me in what was probably the bluntest way possible. "As the reformed troublemaker that I am, my attitude and prior reputation wasn't the best for attracting girls, and then I started keeping to myself, well, except when my father wanted me to make a public appearance. . . Other than that, yeah, my dating profile is practically non-existent."
"And what about that cult following you have going on back home huh?"
"Y-you know about that?!" Gaara asks, stuttering as his eyes widen to a noticeable degree. "How? When?! Did Kankuro tell you this? Was it Temari?"
"Calm down Gaara! I'll tell you. . . I've known since semifinals week."
"Semifinals week?!"
"Yep! TenTen is quite informed on all things pop culture and celebrity," I say, patting his shoulder. "She let the cat out of the bag on the first day. You and your siblings were the last to arrive outside the airport terminal, and TenTen offered some . . . helpful info at that moment in time. I'm guessing the cult following you have is more unwanted than beloved?"
"It's not like I wanted it to happen," He agreed, leaning his head back in his seat so that he was gazing at the ceiling. "I don't even know how it started . . . Thankfully those girls keep their distance most of the time, but a couple of them are pretty creepy."
"When your well-known, the attention tends to attract certain kinds of characters that you want nothing to do with," I say as I lean back in my own seat. "Nothing got too crazy though, right?"
"Aside from a couple of girls almost getting hit with trespassing charges, nope, nothing too crazy happened . . . Dating really is a tricky business."
"It definitely is. . ." I say, taking a moment to glance at him before following his lead and looking up at the ceiling. "So. . ."
"So. . ?" I hear him ask. "So what?"
"Don't you remember? Back at judging, you told me that you wanted to talk to me about something important," I say, turning my head to see the contemplative look crossing his face. "And since we're now out of the danger zone, how about we start talking about whatever topic you wanted to discuss with me earlier?"
"Oh, so you do remember that. . ."
"How could I not?" I ask, trying to decide whether to be flabbergasted or annoyed that Gaara possibly thought I had let that part of our day slip from my mind. "You seemed pretty insistent at the time too, and nervous, just a bit nervous. . ."
"Wow! Has anyone told you that you are amazingly observant?"
"A few times," I say as I see the resolve appear in his eyes. "Okay, spill it! What did you want to talk to me about earlier?"
"Well, it's connected to that dream I had back in the sleep center . . . The one that left me a little surprised?"
"Yeah, I remember that . . . When I asked you about it, you just looked away as your face started turning all pink," I say, thinking back on the memory. "Was it that bad of a dream?"
"It wasn't bad. . ." He admits. "It just took me off guard. I didn't really expect it, but after taking some time to think about it, I'm not mad that I had it."
"Huh, it must have been a decent one," I say, my worries of him having a possible nightmare going away with his words. ". . . What do you remember from it?"
"Not much, but I do remember that you were the only other person in it."
"Really?" I ask, sitting up so that I could look at him better. "And what was I doing in this dream of yours?"
"Nothing much . . . We were actually sitting much like how we are now," he tells me as his face starts to look a little more flustered. "Except. . ."
"Except what?" I ask, trying to not appear too curious for my own good. "What else happened?"
"Um, I had my arm wrapped around your shoulders," He admits before looking off to the side, my eyes widening at his words.
"Your arm was wrapped around my shoulders huh?"
"Yeah, it shocked me too."
". . . Huh, that would imply that we were in some kind of relationship in your dream," I say, thinking it over in my head. "It's either that, or the room we were in was so cold that I sought your body heat for extra warmth."
"To be honest, that second suggestion could be the case," He concedes as he turns back around. "But I don't think my arm was around your shoulders to warm you up."
"I see. . ." I say, bracing myself for what I was going to say next.
After all, if I wasn't going to say it now, when would I ever get the chance to. "Gaara, do you like me?"
"Of course, I do. . . Outside of my siblings, you're one of the people I'm closest to in this competition."
"That's great to hear, but Gaara, what I'm really asking. . ." I trail off as I take a deep breath. "Do you like me, like me?"
"Like you like you?" He asks, and even in the dim light, I can see his face start to turn red. ". . . As in, do I like you as more than a friend?"
"Yeah. . . That's exactly what I'm asking."
"Oh. . . uh . . . well," He stutters before taking a deep, calming breath, closing his eyes to refocus. "Sorry, I usually don't act like this."
"It's okay. . . Topics like this are never easy to talk about, or so I've heard," I suggest, cocking my head to the side. "Take as much time as you need if you want."
"No, no, if I do that, then I'm just gonna end up losing my nerve, and I believe that you deserve an honest answer." He says, taking another deep breath. "To answer your question . . . yes, I do like you. I do like you, like you, if that makes sense."
It was one thing to watch people admit their feelings to each other on television. It's another thing to have it happen to you in real life, and, well, I'm ecstatic.
I thought Gaara was hot from the very moment I saw him back at the airport, but as time went on and we got to know each other, I grew to appreciate his other qualities as well.
To hear him admit that he liked me as more than a friend, well, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't affected by his words in the slightest.
". . . Trust me. It makes sense," I say, sounding almost breathless to my own ears. "Would it help if I told you that I feel the same way?"
"It would," he says, his eyes widening when he really got the gist of my words. "Wait, what?"
"Okay, to start, when I first saw you back at the airport, I thought you were the hottest guy I ever saw in my short life," I admit, feeling my own cheeks go red as I watched the shock grow on his face.
"You think I'm hot?!"
"Yes!" I say, amazed at how shocked he was by my admission. "It shouldn't be that shocking. You are quite handsome Gaara, and I don't regret saying that."
"Wow . . . You really do have feelings for me," He almost whispers as he glances back at me. "And it's not because I was the hottest guy you ever saw when I first stepped out of the terminal, as you so eloquently put it?"
"Well, I do admire your physical traits, but as we got to know each other, I grew to appreciate your other aspects as well," I say as I comb my fingers through my hair. "Your quiet intelligence, your calm demeanor, how cute you look when you're thinking deeply about something. . ."
"I look cute when I'm deep in thought?"
"You tend to jut your chin a bit off to the side and close your eyes when you're thinking hard about something," I say, smirking a little. "Was. . . Was that weird to say?"
"No; you're just the first person outside of my family to notice that particular quirk of mine."
"Well, don't I feel special," I mumble, my words somehow getting a chuckle out of the redhead as I leaned my head back in my seat. "So, now what?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have feelings for me that are more than friendly. I have feelings for you that are more than friendly," I say, summarizing our predicament pretty succinctly. "And I don't believe that either of us entered this competition looking for love, correct?"
"Well, true," Gaara concedes, shaking his head. "When I entered this competition, I didn't think I would connect with so many people, let alone have an actual attraction for someone . . . But sometimes, not all the best laid out plans are executed the way you want them to."
"That's true. . . I know that I need to stay focused on this thing, but I don't really want to ignore my feelings either," I say, biting my lip.
"Then we don't."
"We don't?" I ask, my eyes finding their way back to him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, that we don't ignore our feelings for each other," he says, looking as if he was shocked with himself for even daring to think of such a thing. "I can't believe I'm saying this because this will make me sound like my brother, but I think we should just wing it."
"Wing it?" I ask, now turning fully to face him. "We should just . . . go with the flow?"
"Yeah, exactly . . . We should just take things one day at a time. You know? Not really pushing things?" He suggests as he brings a hand to his neck. "Get to know each other better, embrace what we have now, see where the wind takes us . . . I'm sounding like a corny rom-com, aren't I?"
"Just a little," I teased. "But hey! I don't think you're wrong. . . I think taking the time to get to know each other more and just letting the cards fall where they may be probably the best choice for us going forward. Why mess with a good thing, right?"
"Right. . ." He says, his face softening slightly as we hear a thump coming from the hallway. "What was that?"
"I don't know," I whisper back as I look over at the doorway. "But something tells me we're not going to like it when we find out."
"We may have an eavesdropper," He whispers back as I quietly get up from my seat, listening in as someone harshly whispers to someone else out in the hallway. "Or eavesdroppers . . . One of them definitely sounds familiar."
"It sounds like your sister actually," I say as I narrowed my eyes at the doorway. "I wonder who she's telling off."
"There's only one way to find out," Gaara whispers back as he too gets up. "Temari, if you and whoever you're with do not reveal yourselves now, I will burn your stash of collectible lace fans in the firepit as soon as we're home. I've done it before and I will do it again!"
"You've set a collection of her fans on fire?" I ask, a little amazed by his admission.
"It was one time," He says in his defense, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Besides, how else was I going to get revenge on her for waking me up with a bucket of ice cold water one time."
"You were going to be late for your high school entrance exams!" She called back, still hiding in the hallway as chuckling could also be heard. "Shaking you awake was not helping, so I had to think of something else."
"I thought I was drowning!" Gaara spat right back, obviously irritated with her past actions, despite the good intentions behind it. "I expected that kind of stuff from Kankuro, not you Temari!"
"You must have felt so betrayed," I couldn't help but say as Temari finally shuffled into view, a scowl lining her face.
"You have no idea. . ." He says in return, keeping his eyes locked on his sister. "Where are your co-conspirators?"
"Here!" Called Kankuro as he too walks into the room, followed by Naruto and TenTen, who both walked in with sheepish looks on their faces.
Aside from the latter, this was truly becoming quite the family affair.
"Instead of sleeping the night away, you decided that listening in on our conversation was the better option?" Gaara asks, his tone low, but heavily annoyed as he stared the four down. "You guys really have your priorities all messed up don't ya?"
"HEY! In my defense, I was heading to the kitchen to grab a snack when I saw these three hovering by the doorway!" TenTen admits, gesturing at our siblings. "I only came down five minutes ago!"
"And what about you three?" I ask. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"
"I just wanted to check up on you guys," Temari says in her defense, her tone a little too sweet for my liking. Judging from the look on Gaara's face, he definitely heard that tone before, and he didn't like it one bit.
"And what about you two?" I ask, turning to our brothers. "What's your excuse?"
"I got dragged into this," Kankuro admitted, pointing at himself before pointing at Naruto. "And then I dragged your brother into this because I figured he had a right to know too."
"You could have just told me in the morning instead of pulling me out of bed," My brother grumbles, though his irritation sounded pretty lackluster to my ears.
"And yet you didn't leave once we started hearing what was being said," Kankuro said in return, grinning like mad as Naruto looked away in embarrassment. "Gotcha there didn't I?"
"Regardless of that, you all are still in the wrong for listening in on our conversation in the first place," I say, shaking my head. "Like, seriously?! What were you guys thinking?"
"Well, I always thought that you two seemed like a good fit for each other," Temari admits, looking completely unrepentant. "As soon as I saw you at the airport Izuka, I just had a feeling that you two would get along well."
"Did the insomnia rings tell you that?" I ask, my tone blunt.
"It was the first hint, I must admit, but something in my gut just told me that you two would just click with each other, and my gut has never led me astray before."
"You, the one that prides herself on her brain and logical thinking, think that Izuka and I would make a good couple because of your gut feeling?" Gaara asked, not looking completely convinced, and frankly, neither was I. "And you three? What's your excuse?"
"Have you not noticed the romantic and sexual tension that's been growing between you two?" TenTen asks. "It was only a matter of time before you two hooked up!"
"We haven't hooked up in that way-"
"Yet!" Temari and TenTen chorused together, ignoring the frown on the redhead's face.
"But you are testing the waters," Naruto adds, looking away from my glare. "So, yeah, that's a start. . ."
"The start of something more fruitful!" Kankuro practically sings aloud, making his brother pinch the bridge of his nose in what was definitely exasperation. "What? Was it something I said?"
"You know what?" I say, shaking my head. "We'll talk about this in the morning. Just, just go to bed everyone, okay?"
"You don't have to tell me twice. This girl needs her beauty sleep!" TenTen crows before bolting out of the room.
"You sure you don't want to hash this out now?" Naruto asks me as we watch Gaara continue to glare his siblings to death.
I only glare at him in return. "Okay, I'll leave now."
I watched him go, not moving my gaze until he was out of my line of sight. Once he was gone, I turned my attention to the other interlopers, and while Kankuro got the message and was slowly backing away to the exit, Temari was still maintaining her position, even with an annoyed redhead continuing to stare her down.
"Temari" Gaara warned, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Okay, okay, I'll leave," She finally concedes, raising her hands in surrender as she moves toward the exit. "But trust me when I say this. This isn't over."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Came his sarcastically dry response as we watched his siblings leave. Once we were certain that the two had walked up the stairs, he let out a deep breath before turning to me, his face now apologetic. "Sorry about that!"
"Why are you apologizing?" I ask as I fall back into my seat. "You're not the only sibling in the world to have their conversations listened in on by their family. It's annoying, yes, but we can't help who ends up being our siblings."
"Still though. . . Now that they definitely know that we like each other, they're not going to let up on their teasing. . . Well, my siblings won't," He warns me, falling back onto the couch as if he was a sack of rice. "What about Naruto?"
"If you asked me this back when we were in middle school, Naruto would definitely be a complete ass with his teasing," I say. "Now though, he'll have his moments, but he won't be as taxing as your siblings will likely be."
"Good to know. . ." He mumbles, taking a deep breath. "You know. It's not too late to back out."
"Oh hell no I won't," I say, grabbing his hand before he even had the chance to move away. It was a daring act, I must admit, and Gaara was certainly surprised by it, but I was not deterred. "We both chose to see how far this potential relationship would go, and I don't want to back out now, just to avoid some sibling teasing . . . Do you?"
"No. . ." He says in return, his face softening as he looks at our conjoined hands. "I don't want to back out either. . . I guess you're going to be stuck with me for a while."
"Yeah. . . I don't think I'll mind that one bit."
A/N: Please review!
