-4-
Hinata was beyond shocked about last night's dream. She remembered it so vividly as if it was really happening. Many questions ran through her mind. Why would she dream of him? She had only known him for three days. Her executive manager was a good-looking man, but so was Kiba and she never dreamt of him in such away. She could only imagine what she said to Tenten, and she prayed it wasn't much. Did she trust Tenten? Yes, but still.
Her heart skipped a beat when Tenten held her tightly. She was tempted to wake the woman and ask her what she heard, but maybe it would be best to pretend she didn't know anything.
Luckily for her, Tenten did not remember a lick of what happened when they entered her one-bedroom apartment.
Ino couldn't help but frown when Tenten informed her of their little adventures last night. She would have liked to join in on the fun time with the girls, and maybe even bring along her friend, Sakura.
"Why wasn't I invited?" She crossed her arms.
"You didn't stay for overtime, and besides we had no intentions of getting drunk," Tenten replied, holding her head. "I should have called out today," She mumbled under her breath.
"You could have at least called," Ino said, pushing out her bottom lip. "Chicken and sake sound good."
"Maybe we can go next time, Ino. It was really under short notice." Hinata piped up. "Is your friend still with you?"
"Yes, she is. She's actually going to be staying with me for a while, so she is in the process of looking for a job." Ino commented as she twirled around in her computer chair.
"Why don't you let her apply here? I believe they're hiring," Tenten suggested.
"I guess so. I'll let her know." She stopped mid-spin, then glanced around the office. "Okay, so can we talk about the new manager?"
Grinning, Tenten turned to her, and her headache vanish at the mention of the new manager. "Can we? I saw him this morning, and he's quite a looker. He has a nice ass too."
Hinata's face turned red at Tenten's lewd comment.
"I thought I was the only one who saw that," Ino giggled. "I'll give him a 9/10."
"10/10 for apologizing on behalf of the asshole we had before," Tenten added. "What do you think about him?" She questioned Hinata.
"He's okay," She whispered.
"Just okay, Hinata?" Ino shook her head. "I know you're dating Kiba, but it's okay to look at other men. Come on, what's your honest opinion?"
The mere mention of Kiba's name made her sad which Tenten noticed. She was about to tell Ino to lay it off, but Hinata replied. "I agree with Tenten."
"Aha," Ino grinned madly. "He's definitely a hottie in my book. He's tall, sexy, muscular, and lean."
Both Tenten and Hinata's eyes widened when they spotted their new manager entering their department. Ino was quite loud… loud enough for anyone to hear her.
"Ino," Tenten coughed.
"I wouldn't mind eating sushi off him." Ino chatted away. "I mean I wouldn't cheat on Sai, but if I was single then yeah. But let's talk about his ass again. In those slacks—"
"Ino," Hinata tried to call out, but his blue eyes distracted her.
The man leaned over the cubicle and peered down at Ino who was still chatting about this "mystery man's ass".
"The new manager is a piece of art. I won't mind looking at him every chance I get. That Mr. Namikaze is something else, right?"
"Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Yamanaka. I take great pride in taking care of my body."
Ino's face turned completely white as she turned around slowly. Her pale blue eyes stared into his, and she swallowed the lump that had formed. "M-Mr. Namikaze," She choked. "What brings you here?"
Her heart fluttered when he smiled. "I'm just doing a quick walk-through of the different departments. Is that okay if I do that?" He asked in an amusing tone.
"Of course!" She turned around to her computer and pretended to work on it.
Tenten also went back to her workstation, which left Hinata with the man. She would look at him occasionally, and she could tell he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he walked away and continued his walkthrough of the department floor, greeting those.
Hinata was a little disappointed he hadn't said anything to her, and she wondered if he was upset with her. After all, she did leave without saying anything. Maybe he was waiting for her that entire time.
"Why am I worried about him? It's not like we're dating." She thought to herself. Still, she felt guilty because of her thoughts and actions.
Work wasn't as busy today, but it seemed a lot of meetings were taking place. Ino noticed how some of their co-workers were scheduled for individual meetings and she wondered what it was about.
Suddenly, their supervisor, Iruka, called for Tenten and Hinata to follow him. The two girls wore a worrisome expression which Iruka noticed.
"Don't worry," He spoke in a calm tone, "neither one of you is in trouble. Mr. Namikaze has asked me to pull random people to join him for some individual meetings today."
Tenten was content with the explanation, but as for Hinata, she was wary of being in the room with him… alone. She still felt guilty because of the dream she had, not to mention she abandoned him last night without so much as a word. How could she face him?
The sound of the clock ticking was becoming unbearable as Hinata waited in the lobby for her turn. Tenten had gone in twenty minutes ago, but it felt like forever before the girl came out. She gazed at the woman, and just as she was about to ask her about the conversation, Naruto had called her name.
"It's nothing serious. He just wants to know about some of the things that were reported, and if we saw or heard anything."
Nodding, Hinata slowly made her way into the office and Naruto closed the door behind him.
"Good afternoon—"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Namikaze," Hinata whispered, standing a few inches away from him.
Tilting his head to the side, Naruto wore a confused expression. "Why are you apologizing? Did you do something wrong?"
"I left without saying anything last night. Did I have you waiting?"
A slight chuckled erupted from him, and he quickly made his way to his office chair. "There's no need to apologize, Hinata. I assumed you found a ride. Come sit down."
She approached the chair and sat down slowly. It felt so awkward…
"How are you doing today?"
"I'm fine. How are you doing, sir?"
Naruto leaned back in his chair and hummed. "I don't know, but for some reason, I feel happy right now."
"Did something happen that made you unhappy?" Hinata asked, watching him.
"Hm, the reports I've received would make no one happy. We sincerely apologize for not looking into the matter sooner. There was no way this should have continued for so long."
"Oh," She looked down at her lap. "I like the mission statement of the company, and I've met a lot of nice people here."
"I'm glad to hear that. Do you mind telling me about some of the things you've seen or heard? Anything that needs addressing?" Hinata chewed down on her bottom lip as she thought about the incidents that happened. The entire time she chewed on her lip, Naruto was watching her. He quickly looked away when she glanced at him.
"He wasn't a good person." She finally spoke. "He was unprofessional and would yell at some of the employees if they didn't do as they were told. I've seen him hit someone before." Her voice lowered.
Naruto's eyes widened. "That's not good!"
Hinata nodded. "He used to threaten us with being fired if we didn't stay past our scheduled times. Maybe it would have been best to leave during that time, but… jobs are—"
"I understand," Naruto said, his eyes focused on the computer screen. He was typing.
"That can be pretty upsetting, and our company doesn't stand for such things." He frowned. "That's pretty upsetting…"
She felt as if she had damper his mood, but just looking at him it was hard to detect it. He still glowed with warmth.
A few seconds had passed as she studied him closely. Tenten and Ino were right. He was an extremely good-looking man with his blonde unruly hair and warm blue eyes.
Naruto finally broke his gaze from the computer, and that's when he caught Hinata staring at him. She hadn't even noticed his gaze, but he was also looking at her.
He cleared his throat which snapped her out of her trance. Suddenly, her face turned red, and she quickly look down. What was she thinking just now!
"I noticed you've been avoiding me, and I understand exactly how you feel. I do apologize if I am coming off too strong. It isn't my intention, but I don't like seeing people cry." Naruto commented.
Hinata played with her index fingers. "Was it that obvious?" She asked in a low tone.
"Yes, sorry again."
"Why are you apologizing, Mr. Namikaze? I should be the one apologizing for being so unprofessional. It seems all I do is cry these days, and it may affect the other employees if they see my mood change." Her shoulders lowered with each word as she spoke. "I don't want you to think I am incompetent in my job. I love doing what I do."
"Your performance review provided by Iruka is exceptional Hinata. Within a short amount of time, you've improved in your work and Iruka has done nothing but praise your improvements. There's no controlling life, but we can control what we do." Hinata felt her eyes water. "It's okay to feel down, lay in bed, mope, and cry but you must never forget who you are. You should never love someone more than you love yourself."
The salty tears were streaming down her eyes, and they blurred her vision. "I k-know, but I really loved him. We've been together for so long and we even planned a future together. Why did he treat me so wrong?"
Naruto grabbed some napkins and gave them to her. "Because you allowed him to." He said, truthfully. "Don't ever let someone feel comfortable disrespecting you. That cycle will be hard to break."
She took the napkins and wiped her eyes. "You talk like you've experienced it," She chuckled bitterly. It wasn't bitterly towards him, but her and her foolish desires.
"You can say something like that," He smiled. "It'll only get better if you allow it to get better."
Hinata nodded at every word he was saying. "I know, but it's so hard."
"Breakups aren't easy, but you mustn't lose yourself, okay?" He got up from the chair and stooped down beside her. "You need to take advantage of the programs we have available here."
Hinata wiped her eyes once more and turned her body towards him. "You have programs here?"
"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed. "There's an employee assistance program that offers therapy, temporary housing, and so much more. You didn't know?"
She shook her head.
"I'll make note of that too." He grinned. "Just remember what I said, okay? Never love anyone more than you love yourself. Put you first and love you first."
Shakenly, she reached out to him, and he held her hand into his. The smile he wore never faded, and that made her heart thump. His bigger hand engulfed her smaller hand and she had never experienced such a warmness. Maybe she was vulnerable because of her current situation, but it brought so much joy to her heart.
There was no one she could talk to about this, and she had every intention of keeping it to herself, but she would be a fool to think she could. She was thankful for having an understanding manager.
"I believe our meeting is overdue, but I'm here if you ever need to vent. Unprofessional or not, I am all ears."
"Do you do this for all your employees?" She couldn't help but ask.
"Trust me, I've had a lot of employees, managers, boss, and even my CEO confess all their woes and worries to me. I'm like a diary if anything." He chuckled. Their hands were still intertwined, and neither one wanted to let go. Somehow, she was disappointed to know he was like this to other people, but it also showed he was not solely focused on her.
"Are you doing overtime tonight?"
She nodded.
"Do you need a ride tonight?"
"I-if my friend doesn't stay I might." She said, her eyes focused on their hands.
"Well, you have permission to message me to let me know." He slowly let go of their hand and stood up. "My apologies for letting you stay over the scheduled meeting. Please take care, Hinata."
"T-thank you!" She bowed. "Thank you," She looked at him one last time before she left the office. The entire walk to her department, she couldn't stop herself from looking at her hand. They felt so comfortable in hers.
Naruto peered out the window and he closed his hand. He had told a little white lie. He wasn't like this with other people as he never held their hand or had the urge to talk to them like he did Hinata.
"You talk like you've experienced it,"
Naruto took out his phone and began to flick through his pictures until he stopped on the red-haired man.
"Why are you getting so worked up over her!"
"Because I love her!" The red hair man shouted.
"She doesn't want you! You're going to put yourself in an early grave if you worry about her, nii-san."
"What do you possibly know? Huh?! Have you ever been in love?"
"Love yourself more than you love anyone," Naruto told himself. "Because at the end of the day, you'll only have yourself."
Hinata felt a little less awkward around the blonde hair man now. She didn't run away or had the urge to do so, but she was still cautious about her surroundings. She didn't want unnecessary rumors to spread which could make his or her work life stressful. He was a good manager who showed concern for their work environment. Even with his few days there, there had been some changes to the site like a new coffee machine, fixed restroom stalls, and different options for the vending machine. He was so proficient and timely.
"How was work today? Do you feel better?" He asked.
"Yes." For once she didn't lie. After their conversation, she did feel slightly better knowing she wasn't alone. She knew she had a long way to go for self-love and the breakup, but she was grateful for the encouragement. "How did the rest of the meetings go? I know they can be a little stressful."
Naruto nodded. "The meetings went well. There's still a lot of things that need fixing, and possibly a second look through but I'm glad I've learned a few things."
"Well, you're doing good so far. You're the talk on our floor." Hinata confessed.
"Is that Ino girl still talking about my ass?" He chuckled when Hinata groaned.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that," She mumbled. "Ino is too outspoken and honest at times."
Naruto hummed in amusement. "So, you agree with her?" He let out a few snickers.
"Did you eat?" Hinata asked, trying to change the subject. She was too embarrassed as she had also seen when he bent over this morning to pick up a few files that dropped from his hands. In fact, his ass was the talk of the floor as a lot of people had seen it.
"I was going to buy myself some ramen. What about you?" he glanced down at her.
"I'm not sure what's home to eat, but I'm sure I'll find something."
"Would you like to join me for some ramen? No sake, I promise." Naruto let out a light laugh.
Sake was becoming her enemy! Just hearing that word made her remember that little dream she had of Naruto. Why did he have to remind her? She thought she had forgotten about it.
"You've spent a lot on me, and I haven't repaid you yet."
"Your company is repayment. I barely have any friends in this part of Konoha." He admitted. "Most of them are in the inner city."
"Oh, I didn't know. So that apartment isn't really yours?"
"No. I wasn't originally supposed to oversee this site, but one of my friends ask if I could do it on his behalf."
She couldn't imagine someone else taking Naruto's spot. In a way, she was glad he took the offer. "Well, I'm glad it's you." She quickly covered her mouth as that thought was supposed to stay in her mind.
"I'm glad I did too," Naruto said without realizing her initial reaction. "So, about that ramen?"
Hinata couldn't help but smile, and she nodded. "Ramen, but no sake."
"No sake." He said, grinning.
The cool air from the air conditioning blew on her when she entered the apartment. She tried to be as quiet as she could for fear of disturbing Kiba. It was midnight.
Neither she nor Naruto realized what time it was as they were too busy talking and eating ramen. Her manager sure had a stomach on him since he was able to consume three big bowls of ramen!
Apparently, ramen was one of his favorite foods. Eventually, they had to part ways, and she was disappointed since she found herself becoming cozier with him.
"Hinata?" Her head snapped up as she saw Kiba sitting on the sofa. "Where have you been?" He turned off the television and walked up to her. "You had me worried. You haven't been home and it's not like you."
There was something about his voice that sounded genuinely concerned about her wellbeing.
"I… I was with Tenten," She looked down at the wooden floor.
"You should have texted me." He ran his fingers through his brown hair. "I'm just glad you're home safely now."
Hinata was speechless.
"Did she drop you home?"
"Um, yes."
"Did you eat? Why did you come home so late?"
"Yes, we did, and we were just talking." Hinata closed the door behind her.
Kiba nodded. "I know… I know we're not together anymore, but it doesn't mean I'll stop caring about you. If you need a ride, please let me know."
"T-thank you." She watched as he entered the kitchen. She was confused about this entire ordeal. Why was he acting this way?
He took out a cold bottle of water and drank some. "I'm going to sleep, so get a good night's rest."
She was too speechless to say anything. When he closed his bedroom door, she snapped out of her thoughts. Was Kiba changing?
-Thank you for the reviews-
