Lovesick
AN: I'm not really used to creating stories in this form of writing. We'll see how it goes from here. A new story, yes? I wish everyone can look in my documents to see how many Naruto stories I've written, but never posted! So many stories and summaries….
M rating
"Oh no! Hinata, don't cry!"
"Don't cry! You're going to look pathetic crying to a stranger."
"Please don't ask me what's wrong! Please."
"Are you okay?"
"Fuck."
Hinata Hyuga has been with her boyfriend, Kiba, for five years. They've been through their ups and downs like any other couple, but for the past two years, he has been treating her like shit. One rainy evening, a stranger offers her a ride home from work. One simple question makes her explode into tears and with a few encouraging words, she found the strength to break up with Kiba.
Breakups aren't easy, but Hinata is determined to make the best out of life even if it means putting up with Kiba until their lease ends. However, what she did not expect was that stranger to be her new executive manager. How embarrassing!
-1-
Her expression is solemn as she waits outside for her boyfriend. Today is a good day, and Hinata can't wait to tell him about the pay raise her company gave them. Despite last night's argument, she couldn't wait to speak to him. Maybe she could cook something to celebrate the moment?
The sun slowly sinks turning the sky into a wonderland of pink and orange swirls, however, there seems to be a smell of rain lingering in the air. It's okay though because Kiba should be here soon.
Licking her lips, she presses "send" for the fourteenth time, and she gets the same message: I'll be there soon.
"Hinata, didn't you get off at five? Why are you still here?" Tenten, a co-worker, asks.
Laughing nervously, she smiles. "Kiba is going to be here soon."
"Are you sure because I can give you a ride?" Tenten offers.
"I'm fine," Hinata reassures her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tenten. Drive safely."
"You too!" She waves at Hinata as she makes her way to the parking lot that's slowly becoming less occupied.
The stars are twinkling outside, and her shoulders lower. A few tears gather in the corner of her eyes, but she wipes them away before anyone could see them. Like any couple, they've had their fair shares of ups and downs but lately, Kiba has been paying less attention to her and their relationship.
This was embarrassing. She's been standing outside for almost four hours in hopes Kiba would pick her up on time. Her heart trembles when she hears a loud boom in the sky.
Night approaches, and it is raining harder than ever. It's cold, chilly and she's slightly getting damp from the rain blowing in her direction.
"Maybe I should have taken Tenten's offer," Hinata mumbles under her breath. Then she remembers the last time she did that. When she reached home, Kiba cursed her for making him drive all the way there to pick her up. She did, he just didn't answer his phone.
She would have caught a cab, but she only had so little to last her until the next pay period, and she didn't want to ask Kiba for anything. She already owed him more than a hundred dollars to cover her half of rent.
Thinking about their relationship hurts her. As much as she tries to deny it, she knows what she must do. Break up with Kiba. But how could she? Every time she tried to do it; she couldn't bring herself to do it. Kiba meant so much to her, and it was because of him she was able to work in the inner city of Konoha.
However, she didn't expect to be treated like shit.
The rain is pouring down harder than before, and her cell phone is on 1%. She types in her password to let him know her phone is about to die. While doing so, her phone cuts off. Her scream catches in her throat, but she quickly swallows it down. Through blurry eyes, she lowers her head and lets her arms hang freely.
"Do you need a ride home?"
Slowly, she lifts her head and meets a blue-eyed stranger standing beside her. How strange. She's never seen him here before and a lump of unruly blonde hair would be easily noticeable.
"I—" She feels her lips trembling, so the only thing she can do is nod.
The blonde stranger smiles and puts an umbrella over her head. "Come on." He said, walking side by side with her.
Hinata notices his shoulder is getting wet, and she blurts, "You're getting wet!"
"I know. It's okay." He laughs, opening the car door for her.
Once she's inside safely, he makes his way to the driver's side and quickly shuts the door. Hinata holds her purse tightly and she whispers, "Thank you."
"It's okay. Where do you live?"
"Crystal Pine Apartments," She mumbles.
"I know where that is. I'll get you there before you could say ramen." He says with enthusiasm.
"Ramen?" For some reason, that makes Hinata laugh, and he chuckles.
"No fair."
The drive there is quiet, except for the rain that falls on the roof of the car. Her mother always warned her about catching a ride from a stranger, but what else could she do? Who knows how long she would have waited for Kiba to show up? There mere thought of that man makes her stomach queasy. Why couldn't he be more reliable? Why couldn't he show he love her. The more she thought about it, the more tears try to squeeze their way out.
"Oh no! Hinata, don't cry!" She said to herself. "Don't cry! You're going to look really pathetic crying to a stranger." Her lower lips tremble, and the grip around her bags tightens even more. She could sense the man looking at her. "Please don't ask me what's wrong! Please, don't."
"Are you okay?" He questions.
"Fuck." The tears she's been trying to hide finally spill out and she cries. "I didn't do anything wrong," She sobs. "Why did he leave me out there for so long?" That surprises him. "We've been together for years, and I thought he was the one I would marry but who am I kidding!" She shouts, trying to wipe the endless tears from her eyes. "He treats me like shit. He makes me wait for him, rain or sunshine. He doesn't offer to cook. He doesn't care when I'm sick. He doesn't ask me about my day. He knows I can't afford a ride! And I know I should break up with him, but I really want it to get better!"
"Is it going to get better? The blonde man asks, his eyes focus on the wet road.
Hinata sniffles. "I- I don't know."
"Well then, ask yourself this question. Is this how I envisioned my relationship to be?" His voice sounds so earnest when he asks the question.
"It wasn't always like this." She shouts, but she quickly covers her mouth which earns a chuckle from the man. "Kiba use to be nice and caring." She mumbles. "Maybe I did something wrong."
"Did you?"
Hinata nibbles on her bottom lip as her mind begins to wonder what she could have possibly done to make Kiba this way. She cooks his meal, cleans, does laundry, and has sex whenever he wants. She also listens to his complaints and tries her best to comfort him, but maybe she wasn't doing something right.
"If you're not being treated fairly, maybe it's time you move on, and it seems you've already made up your mind."
He was right.
For the past year, Hinata always had a voice in the back of her head telling her it was time to leave Kiba alone. This relationship wasn't worth the stress. She still had her parents and sister back home she was sending money to. That was one of the reasons she put up with Kiba and his mistreatment towards her.
But…
The car stops which makes Hinata look at the man questionably. A sudden fear washes over her as her mind went into a frenzy. Why did he stop the car? Is he going to kill her?
He tilts his head to the side, and a wide smile spreads across his face. "We're here."
Hinata looks out the window, and her face begins to turn red. He's right. "T-thank you." Her voice comes out squeaky.
"Good luck. I knew breakups aren't easy, but it'll get better." He encourages her. "Stay here. I'll help you out."
Before Hinata could reject, the tall man was already out of the car heading towards the passenger side. It wasn't raining as hard as before, but it was still enough to get one damp.
"Watch your head." He says, holding the umbrella over her head.
"You didn't need to do this." She mumbles. "You're getting wet!" She shouts once noticing his white shirt getting wet.
He only chuckles. "I'm immune to the cold!"
"All men say that, but you'll be the one in bed sick as a dog." She scolds.
"Then maybe you can nurse me back to health as a repayment for the ride?"
Hinata felt her face turn red when she saw the genuine smile radiating off the man. Once Hinata was standing at the front entrance, she bowed.
"T-thank you very much, sir. I don't know how I would have gotten home." The tears she had been holding in were threatening to fall once again. How stupid could she possibly be? A stranger had to drop her home after four or even more hours of waiting! How worthless could she be?
She almost jumps back when he swipes his thumb under her eye. He was trying to wipe away her tear that stuck onto her bottom lash. "It's okay to cry, but you must do what's best for you."
She nods slowly.
"Take care!"
Hinata watches as he leaves the front entrance and that's when it suddenly kicks in. She doesn't know his name!
By the time she runs out of the front entrance, the blonde-haired stranger is already gone.
She rubs her eyes then takes a deep breath.
She knows what she needs to do.
Breakups aren't easy. Nobody ever said it would be, but last night, she did it.
.
.
.
After walking into their two-bedroom apartment, Kiba was on the couch watching television. Her mouth dropped to the floor upon seeing him.
He lifted his head and looked in the direction of the door. "Babe, you're home?"
"K-Kiba! Why didn't you pick me up?" Hinata questioned.
"It was raining hard outside, so I was waiting for it to die down. Who dropped you home?"
Those damn tears were coming out again. "You left me waiting for you for four hours! It's nighttime Kiba! I've been waiting for you for so long!"
"It's raining! Do you want me to get into a car accident driving to pick you up?"
Hinata balled her fist and looked down. Maybe he was right… Then she shook her head as the senses came back to her.
"I'm tired of your excuses! You told me you were coming soon!"
"I would have expected you to catch a ride with a co-worker or something. Why are you being like this? Your home, so take off your work clothes and—"
"No! You got mad last time I did that."
"Hinata." Kiba sighed as he sat upright on the couch. "Are you on your period? You've been really moody lately."
"What does me being on my period have to do with anything!" She screamed at him. "Did you not hear me? I've been waiting for you for almost four hours! Why didn't you tell me to catch a ride with a friend or something!"
Kiba ran his fingers through his brown hair and let out a loud sigh so she could understand how annoyed he was getting.
"Hinata—"
"No! I'm done with you!"
Kiba's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"It's over. I'm breaking up with you." Hinata said, her body trembling.
"You're leaving me after everything I've done for you? You wouldn't have that job if it wasn't for me!" He said, standing up.
"Thank you for everything you've done, but for the past few years, you've been treating me like I'm beneath you. You're not like how you were when we first started dating." She said, sobbing in between words. "I really love you, but I can't do this anymore."
"Do what! You don't do much around her. All you do is complain all day and all night! I'm tired of this. I'm tired of that. What about me? I'm tired too! All you do is sit on your ass all day putting data into a fucking computer or answering some damn calls. Your job isn't that hard."
"It's much more to it!"
"You still sit on your ass all day, and what do you even spend your money on? You could have just saved up to get a car." Kiba pointed out. "You're bad at your finances."
Hinata felt her skin boil. "You already know what happened to my savings, Kiba." She whispered.
"Maybe your dad should get off his ass and support your mom." He shrugged. "Don't you see what you're doing is affecting our relationship?"
That struck a nerve within Hinata. "It's over, Kiba. I'll be leaving after the lease ends."
"Whatever. Maybe I'll find someone who doesn't bitch all day and night." He said, throwing himself on the sofa. He cursed a few words, but the rest of the night Hinata didn't hear anything.
.
.
.
Hinata turns on the faucet and splashes her face with some cold water. No, breakups aren't easy, but it needed to happen. Kiba left for work, and she moved her belongings to the second bedroom. It wasn't much, but…
Taking a deep breath, she looks over herself in the mirror and smiles. It's best not to bring your problems to work. She walks out of the restroom and strolls to her department. In the next ten minutes, there's going to be a meeting. They got a new executive manager who came in last night. She was happy.
The last manager wasn't very good at his job and was unprofessional. Hopefully, this one wouldn't cause too many problems for them.
The company she works for isn't too big, in this location per se. It was a pharmaceutical company that started in Suna and expanded to parts throughout Konoha. This was one of their many locations. The pay was decent, and at least she was able to send her family some money every paycheck.
"Hinata!"
Turning her head in the direction of the known voice, a small smile graces her face. "Good morning Tenten."
She walks next to the tall girl and the two embraces one another.
She and Tenten became friends the minute she started working for the company. Tenten was nice, cool, and collected and they were snack-buddies. They shared some secrets and even ate out once or twice a month. She was only a year older, but she was so much wiser. Hinata knew if she had told Tenten the issue in her relationship, she probably would have said the same thing the blonde hair man said.
Speaking of blonde hair man….
She couldn't stop herself from thinking about him. She wanted to thank him for the ride as well as the few encouraging words to do what she needed.
"I was praying all last night that our new manager isn't a douche." Tenten chatter away.
"Likewise," Hinata said, taking a seat next to Tenten. "Mr. Akashi was very—"
"Perverted."
Both girls look over their shoulders and saw a beautiful blonde hair woman approaching them.
"Oh, and an ass."
"Ino." Tenten laughs.
"You always laugh when I say it, but he is! I've seen the way he looks at my poor Hinata." She said, wrapping her arms around the poor Hyuga girl.
"Hinata is beautiful," Tenten said.
"That she is."
"I thought you had the day off?" Tenten question.
"I'm here for a few hours before I take the rest of the day off. My best friend is coming in from Kirigakure and she's going to be staying with me for a while." Ino explains.
"Drive safely to the airport," Hinata speaks up in her usual soft voice. "There were a lot of crazy people driving out there today."
Ino nods in agreement. "Tell me about it." Her eyes suddenly open wide when she sees Hinata's eyes. "Hinata, what happened to your eyes? They're so red and puffy. Were you crying all last night?"
Tenten looks over Hinata and sure enough, Ino is correct. How did she not see that?
"Is your mother still not feeling well?" Tenten inquires, a trace of concern is evident in her tone.
"Mama is fine! I— I just don't want to speak about it yet."
"We're here if you need us, okay?" Ino mentions.
Hinata's vision becomes blurry, but she fights the tears from spewing over. "Y-yes, I know. Thank you."
The office begins to fill with co-workers and other managers from the different departments within the company. Different voices ring through the meeting room, but it eventually dies down when the door opens and in comes a tall handsome blonde man they had never seen before.
"Wow, this is a full house."
Hinata freezes on the spot. There's just no way…. No. That voice sounds so familiar.
Slowly, her head turns in the direction of the door, and it was as if time stopped. Those deep blue pools instantly lock on to her pale-lavender eyes and her heart stops.
How embarrassing!
That blonde man she cried in front of was her new manager!
-Review-
