clover blooms in the fields / spring breaks lose, the time is near / what would he do if he found us out? / crescent moon, coast is clear / spring breaks lose but so does fear / he's gonna burn this house to the ground

- ivy, taylor swift (evermore)

he checks his phone, wondering if he got the place wrong, but no— the address that she sent him was her home address.

sasuke feels ridiculously overdressed with his button-down shirt and his favorite jeans that he only wears occasionally. he even put a cologne that his stupid cousin shisui gave to him last christmas as a way for him to get girls because "girls like dudes who smell good" and because "it's time for you to get a girlfriend, sasuke-chan!"

embarrassment starts to creep up at the back of his neck, making his cheeks flush the slightest pink. he looks around him, making sure that naruto isn't lurking anywhere near here. god only knows how much the blond will pester him to death about this not-a-date study session.

he thinks that it's the worst among his recently stupid thoughts— thinking that this is a date. of course, it's not. she literally just asked if he wanted to study somewhere else and he agreed. sasuke exhales a deep breath with the ridiculousness of it all.

his phone rings in his hands. looking at it, his heart rate spikes as he reads her name, then answers it right away.

"sakura..."

"sasuke-kun, where are you? did you get lost?"

"ah no… i'm actually outside already…"

a loud thud is heard from the other line and sasuke blurts out, "are you okay?!"

sakura groans, "y-yeah, i'm just clumsy…" then she lets out an awkward airy laugh. "y-you can come in now, the door is unlocked. i'm just gonna… do… some stuff first…"

he looks at their front door, "would your parents mind?"

"i'm alone. they'll be back next week. come inside, i'll be quick."

she drops the call after that and sasuke's left outside, wondering if it's really okay. his heart is thundering inside his chest and he doesn't want to even know why.

the door is unlocked…

i'm alone…

come inside…

he can't believe his brain can function this way. he's never felt like this before about anyone. they're just words and here he is thinking like a teenager in his puberty stage. he is ashamed.

but before he can even think whether staying outside is the best course of action, he sees blond hair in his peripheral vision. with a quick look, he confirms that it is naruto walking with inuzuka and aburame. naruto invited him yesterday for a hangout today and he declined, saying that he'll be visiting his parents.

he can't know he's here. the uzumaki will burn his house to the ground, for sure.

and that is how he ends up being inside sakura's house.

sasuke is still leaning on the front door when her voice speaks up, "sasuke-kun? why are you standing like that there?"

he straightens his body, "oh- nothing, i was just-"

and that is how he ends up being speechless.

sakura is wearing a dress. its thin straps accentuate the bones on her shoulders, the hem of it just reaching her mid-thigh, and its color…

it's red.

so is her cheeks that she's trying to hide by looking away. she murmurs, "you were just what?"

so this is what she looks like with color, he thinks to himself, still trying to take his eyes off.

"naruto," he thoughtlessly answers.

her brows meet in confusion as she looks at him, "naruto? what about him?"

"he was outside and i didn't want him to see me."

sakura nods but with a frown on her face, "oh… i guess we can't go out then…"

it's sasuke's turn to be confused. he frowns back, "huh? i thought we're staying here…"

she fidgets with her dress and looks away again... and then suddenly, it all clicks to sasuke.

i'll wear a different color other than white or black when i finally go to a date with someone i really like.

sasuke stares at her hard, still not believing that she actually likes him back. she isn't like the other girls who are very vocal about their admiration for him. she's always respectful of his personal space, never says anything with innuendo, and always attentively listens to him when he speaks. not because she wants to answer him but because she simply wants to just listen to him and understand.

she's a breath of fresh air especially if you're surrounded by people who never stop proving themselves to someone and everyone else. sakura is just a girl who is just inherently good; someone who just wants to be there for her friends and to be of help to anyone who needs it.

and she likes him. she likes him, too.

sakura continues to mumble, "what would he do if he found us out anyway? we're only studying together…"

"didn't you ask me out on a date yesterday? that's why you're looking extra pretty today?"

she whips her head up to him and sasuke can see the blush on her face. "l-look who's talking!" she exclaims. "you're looking extra handsome, too!"

a smirk is forming on his mouth and he can't help but let out a breathy chuckle, "i was hoping it was a date, too."

she peers up her green eyes at him and sasuke thinks that it can be whatever she says and he will go with it. if she says this is a mere study session, fine. if she says this is a date, good.

if she says-

"i like you," sakura confesses.

fantastic, sasuke thinks. it's fantastic.

sasuke gets the courage to move from the front door towards the inside of her house where she stands. in this close distance, he can see the yellow flecks in her wide green eyes and the light pink eyelashes that surround it. he gives her a shy smile.

"i like you, too."

at the end of the day, sasuke learns that it was indeed a date— the first of many to come.

a/n: sorry this was a day late :( i just had my first dose of vaccine and i got fever right after so i wasn't able to write. i'm better now though so i hope i can keep up with the usual update every day :) thanks for keeping up with me! here's the continuation from the last prompt, as well as my poor attempt at making a fluffy piece with taylor's very intriguing lyrics lmao