Cover My Eyes

by, Rampantt

Chapter Ten: The Truth

The sun was high and mid day was just rolling in, but that didn't stop the chilled air from biting at everyone's bones.

Hinata shivered, sipping at her coffee as she looked over the blue-prints for The Lily Hotel. Day one of production was in full swing. The grounds had already been dug and the basic structure for the hotel had been laid into place. The project was scheduled to be finished in 18 months and that meant for the next 18 months The Lily was her baby.

The heiress hadn't expected to be thrown into the company so quickly and especially to be put in charge of such a massive project. Either her father trusted her or he was testing her.

"You'll need this," a voice said by her ear.

Before she could respond or react, the pink The North Face beanie she donned was pulled off and carefully replaced with a protective hard-hat. Hinata reached up to feel it, turning her head to find the one person she would have liked most to avoid the entire time she was on site – Uchiha Sasuke.

"Thank you..." she said carefully, looking away from him to the blue-prints before her.

Sasuke bobbed his head once, shoving his gloved hands into his pockets. A cool band of air whipped around the two and the thick silence that wedged between them.

Hinata had been trying her best to ignore him ever since breakfast that morning. She even opted to skip lunch just to avoid being near him. Uchiha Sasuke was a hard man to evade, Hinata was coming to learn.

She focused her white gaze on the blue-prints but if she were being honest with herself she wasn't really paying it much attention. All she could think of was the trembling in her chest, the cold air against her lips and the man beside her who seemed insistent on not giving her any room to breathe.

"I broke up with Sakura," he announced at once, breaking the silence.

Hinata licked her lips then bobbed her head once. "I heard."

Sasuke was silent for a while and Hinata was grateful for it. Perhaps if she said as little possible, looked at him as little as possible, he would finally take the hint and leave her alone. However, that sounded way too good for the heiress to believe it.

"At first... I thought I was doing it for you," he said to her.

"Don't –" the heiress attempted to chime in.

"Let me finish," he said before she could finish. "I thought I was doing it for you," he said again. "But honestly, Sakura and I would have broken up regardless, so don't think that you're to blame for any of this."

Hinata looked down at her fingers, rubbing them against the blue-prints. How could she not think that? She had interfered with her best friend's relationship and the worst part of it all was that she wasn't even sure if she was a willing participant or not. Sure, she kissed Sasuke back but she did her best to stop everything else that transpired afterward. She put a halt to everything, even going as far as putting even more social distance between the two of them. Part of her even wanted to decline this assignment but she knew better, opportunities with her father didn't come twice and it would be foolish of her to through away her future just because Uchiha Sasuke made her uncomfortable.

"We both know that's not true..." she said, almost to herself.

"It is..." he insisted. "Things with Sakura haven't been good for a long time; I should have done it sooner but honestly, I was being selfish."

Hinata didn't say anything.

"Had I ended things when I first wanted to Sakura wouldn't have gotten this hurt, she might have even been over me by now," he said, reflecting. "She probably won't want to talk to me but I want you to at least know that hurting Sakura was never my intention."

"It seldom matters what our intentions are, its what we actually do that matters," Hinata said, breaking her silence. "Look, Sasuke, this,whatever this is, doesn't make sense and more importantly it isn't right –"

"It makes perfect sense to me and who isn't it right for?" he asked her.

"It isn't right to Sakura," Hinata hissed at him, shooting him a nasty glare.

"Fuck Sakura."

"What?!" Hinata nearly shouted, earning them a few looks from the others around them.

The heiress flushed red and cleared her throat. "She might not matter to you, but she matters to me. She always will."

Sasuke took a deep breath before starting again. "Hinata I didn't come over here to fight with you –"

"Then why did you come? Hm? I told you before already –"

"I don't care what you said before," Sasuke said. "You didn't mean any of it, I know you didn't. You're a liar if you can stand there and honestly say you aren't interested in me. If you can say I don't make you feel anything you're a damned liar."

Hinata glared at him, brows knotting together in frustration. However, she couldn't tell who exactly she was frustrated with, Sasuke or herself? He kept pushing and pushing and she, if she were really being honest, couldn't deny anything he was saying. The fact remained however, that anything between them would be wrong no matter how she looked at it.

"Sasuke – "

"Sasuke! There you guys are!" a voice cut into their argument.

The two ravens turned to find Karin and Suigetsu making their way over to them.

Hinata did her best to school her features, her brows relaxing. She pulled her lips into a pleasant smile, doing her best to look as though the conversation she had been having with Sasuke never took place.

"It's so noisy around here," Karin said, pushing her fingers into her ears.

"You didn't get any plugs?" Hinata asked a bit concerned, digging her hand into her pocket and pulling out a couple of ear plugs.

Karin and Suigetsu helped themselves, pushing the plugs into their ears. "Ah, that's so much better," Karin said at once, visibly relaxing.

Sasuke scowled at his teammates, not bothering to hide his agitation unlike the heiress. He removed the hard hat from his head, running a hand through his raven locks and blowing out a slow breath. He was beginning to think he'd never get Hinata to be honest with him or even herself. Sasuke wasn't conceited enough to think that just because he felt something for her that she must feel something for him – he knew she did; he could feel it. Hinata wanted to pretend there was nothing and she didn't feel anything but she couldn't fool him. Sasuke could always see through that wall she put up for everyone. He knew she felt what he did and he knew how difficult their situation was but it frustrated him anyway that she wouldn't at least admit it.

"Is there anything we should be doing? No one gave us any real direction," Suigetsu asked after pushing the plugs into his ears.

Hinata shrugged just a bit. "Not really," she answered. "We just wanted you all to see your vision being birthed. Like I said earlier, if you have any concerns or any design issues come to me. I'll definitely keep you all updated. Other than that, you're pretty much on vacation."

Karin beamed. "Thank god, I'm going to make a reservation for the spa, would you like to come Hinata-chan?"

"Maybe later, I still have to be on site for a few more hours," the heiress responded.

"Obviously," Suigetsu chimed, earning himself a nudge from the red-head.

"It didn't hurt to ask!" she hissed at him.

Suigetsu ignored her, instead focusing his attention on the heiress. "You'll be joining us for dinner later, won't you?"

Hinata bobbed her head once. "Yeah I should be able to make that," she said peeking down at her watch. "The day's production is almost over, but I still have some paper work to handle. I shouldn't be too late, but feel free to start without me."

Suigetsu bobbed his head once, offering the heiress a toothy grin. "C'mon Karin, lets go find that spa, hm?"

"Who said I wanted to go with you?" she hissed at him, watching as he walked away. It wasn't long before she dashed off behind him, still insisting on bickering.

It wasn't long before Sasuke decided to get out of there himself. He came out to talk with her but that seemed impossible. He was honestly tired of arguing with her and found himself growing more and more irritated by the thought of her. He needed to clear his mind.

The heiress watched as he walked away soundlessly, leaving her alone with the blue-prints and noise of construction. She studied his back, silently admiring his broad shoulders and lean figure. Her heart was pounding in her chest but she didn't ignore it. It was okay to let herself feel when he wasn't watching, she told herself. As long as he couldn't see the longing on her face, or couldn't sense the way her heart ached, she would be fine.

Hinata licked her lips and forced herself to look away from him. What was wrong with her? Not too long ago, Sasuke barely registered in her mind. After the kiss they shared in his cramped power room it was hard for her to think of anything but him. She found herself trying to distract herself from thoughts of him more often than she would have liked. She was forcing herself to think about Naruto whenever Sasuke came to mind. But why was that? Naruto was the one she loved, she was certain of that, so why did Sasuke clog her mind so often? Somehow he had wedged himself into her brain. The heiress sighed. She missed Naruto...

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping for but it felt like a millennium. He rolled slowly, pushing himself onto his back so he could stare into the blackness of his hotel room. He laid there for a while, his mind emptied save for thoughts of opal eyes. A familiar stirring in his groin reminded him that he was single. Maybe he shouldn't have rolled onto his back...

He sighed, fighting off the urge to settle his problem, deciding it was best to just ignore it. He wasn't that desperate to handle such matters on his own. Sasuke could never think of time where he had ever needed to; and he wasn't going to start now.

The raven sat up, groaning at his discomfort. Being single wasn't as great as he thought it was going to be, he decided, getting up from his bed. He found his phone on the bedside-table and discovered the time – it was rolling into two AM. There were several text messages from his collages, both wondering of his whereabouts and dozens from each of them complaining of being forced to spend time with the other.

Sasuke couldn't lie and say he was interested, but he wondered vaguely from time to time when the two of them were going to finally get together. The thought didn't linger long however; he tossed the black device onto the bed and walked around the room in search for the en suite. He crossed over the threshold and into the bathroom. Stripping in the dark, he started the shower and climbed in, letting the cold water rinse over his skin. He pressed his head against the cool tile and closed his eyes.

Once he was clean, he emerged from the shower and dressed himself in the dark, pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweat shirt, his alma mater plastered across his chest in bold blue letters. He was still tired, he noted, pulling on a pair of socks and sinking his feet into his boots. Still tired but unable to allow himself to sleep again, the aching in his gut would not be ignored any longer.

Sasuke sighed and stood again, only to reseat himself on the bed. He didn't really feel like walking down to the main floor and running the risk of bumping into anyone. Sasuke was not in the mood to be bothered with socialization at the moment. He had been enjoying the solitude of his room. The aching in his stomach would not be ignored, however. He gathered up his things – his wallet, cellphone and cardkey, and emptied out of his room in search of the main lobby.

He supposed he should have been happy. Things were coming together at last and he felt like he could show his face to his family again. He proved them wrong and they would have no excuse but to accept him as he was now. He didn't need them for anything and there was nothing they could tell him any longer. However, Sasuke wasn't sure if that's what he wanted anymore. He didn't have the same desire to prove them wrong or shut them up. When it came to them, he was simply numb. It had been years since he'd spoken to any Uchiha and by now he had lose the urge to. He was so used to being without them that it didn't matter to him now.

He should have been happy then. All his troubles were seemingly over but it seemed increasingly harder to feel happy. He was more relieved than anything that The Lily was his design but, something was missing. In the years he spent dreaming and designing he had lost himself. It wasn't that he wanted to quit, not at all, architecture was still his dream; he just didn't have anything else but that dream anymore. And now that it was coming to actualization, Sasuke couldn't help but feel like something was missing, or that he had missed something important somewhere...

He forced himself to stop thinking about it. It would do him no good to dwell on the unsolvable, he decided. What he needed to do was concentrate on what would be happening next. Where was he going to go from here? What was his next goal? But those questions kept bringing him back to his previous concerns.

You'll worry yourself to death, he thought to himself, pushing open the double doors to the main floor atrium.

This time he really forced himself to think of something else as his stomach could wait no longer. He shoved his hands into his pockets and maneuvered around the furniture that littered the sitting area of the main hall. It was empty, save for the concierge; everyone else had long since gone to sleep or out doing other things, Sasuke thought to himself as he entered the main dining room. Luckily, there was still food be served, considering that the buffet was 24/7.

He piled food onto his plate; everything from chicken breasts to turkey legs, mashed potatoes to macaroni and cheese, by the time he was finished loading up, he marveled at the mountain he had created. Sasuke could only think of two idiots who could rival the appetite he had that moment. He grabbed a cup and filled it with apple juice from one of the dispensers and began his search for a seat.

Crossing into the dining area, his onyx gaze locked in on the one person he had least expected to encounter. He stared at her for a moment, studying the way she piled her black hair into a messy bun at the top of her head – she even wore her glasses. She was sipping on what he suspected was a bowl of ramen, sitting with her legs folded Indian style in her seat. He didn't bother to ignore the pang in his chest. Without even thinking, he closed the distance between them, sitting his plate down at her table and pulling out a seat for himself.

Startled, Hinata gasped, noodles splashing from her chopsticks and slapping her lips and cheeks. She choked, from her shock, reaching for a napkin to cover her coughing and to wipe the broth from her mouth. Her face turned several shades of red when she noticed him grinning, sitting himself across from her.

"Wh-what… are you d-doing?" she asked, pounding her fist against her chest to settle her coughing.

Sasuke continued to grin, biting into his mac-n-cheese. "I'm eating."

Hinata scowled, unfolding her legs and sitting up straighter. "There are a million tables in here, why do you have to sit here?"

Sasuke arched a brow at her, licking his lips. "It's empty in here," he said looking around. "Wouldn't that have been awkward if I sat anywhere else?"

"You could have went back to your room…"

"I didn't know you owned this hotel," he joked, cutting into his chicken.

Hinata frowned. Gathering up the paperwork she had been looking at, she stood to her feet and prepared herself to leave.

"Seriously, Hinata?" Sasuke said, with a sigh. "I've barely said anything to you. Why do you have to act like that?"

"I'm not acting like anything," she said, shoving the papers into a folder.

"You sure know how to make a person feel unwelcomed," he told her, sitting back in his seat and watching her.

She sucked at her teeth, stuffing the folder into her bag. "No, you just can't take a hint. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Why not?"

She stared at him, brows crumpled together and trying her best not to explode. "Because –"

"I'm not interested in hearing you talk about how wrong and unfair it is to Sakura. So other than her, why aren't you interested in me?"

Hinata frowned, brushing the rebel strands of her bangs away from her face. Why else other than Sakura? Then it clicked to her. "There's someone else that I'm interested in."

Sasuke stared at her. "Who?"

"That's none of your business," she said, pushing her chair in.

A tick worked in Sasuke's jaw. "You can't be talking about Naruto."

Hinata ignored him and hitched her bag up her shoulder. She wasn't about to entertain him. If he couldn't take the hint then that was his problem.

"You know he has a girlfriend, right?" Sasuke asked, watching her walk away from the table.

Hinata halted, her back straightening immediately. "What are you talking about?" she asked, whipping around to face him.

Sasuke swallowed, instantly regretting saying anything the moment opal clashed with onyx. Hinata waited for him to speak, a knot tightening in her gut. She didn't want to believe it but she had to know. Had the love of her life really been stolen away from her? "Tell me."

The raven was silent for a moment longer, debating whether or not he had made the right decision. It didn't matter though. He had already opened his mouth and now he had to deal with the consequences. "He met someone," he started. "He says its getting serious."

Hinata took a deep breath, trying to silence the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. How could Naruto have a girl friend? That didn't even make sense. Things were finally starting to look good for the two of them – they even kissed! So how could there suddenly be another girl?

"You're lying…" she said decidedly. "You're lying. Naruto would have told me if he had someone."

Sasuke was silent but didn't break his gaze from hers. "He told me himself."

"You're lying!" she snapped at him. "He wouldn't do that."

By this time her face was beat red with frustration; black brows crumpled and sweat beading on her forehead. "Naruto would never keep something like that from me," she went on. "You know what, Sasuke? Screw you. You are the most self-center person I have ever met."

"What? Me? Self-centered?" he echoed her, his expression soon matching hers.

"Yes. God, yes," she answered. "All you care about is yourself and what you want so you think you can just make up lies to get me to –"

"Newsflash Hinata; you're not that great. I don't need to make up lies just to get a girl," Sasuke retorted, standing to his feet as well.

"You're pathetic," Hinata said to him, letting his comment roll of her skin. Someone like Sasuke couldn't shake her sense of worth.

"No, Hinata, you're pathetic, pining after some guy who obviously doesn't want you and now when you find out he has someone else you're lashing out on me," he replied.

"Go fuck yourself," said Hinata, storming out of the dining hall in a huff.

Sasuke sucked at his teeth, watching as she disappeared. He ran both sets of fingers through his raven locks and blew out a slow breath. He was always putting his foot in his mouth when it came to Hinata. He didn't want to fight with her, he really just wanted for them to get a long and for her to like him. Why did he have to tell her that? Sasuke couldn't figure out what he had been thinking. He would never win her if he continued to be a jerk to her every time they met up. The problem was, Sasuke didn't know any other way to be other than that.

"Fuck…" he mumbled, looking down at his plate of food. Hinata was a much greater challenge than he had initially thought.

The last few days of the trip to the Hot Springs Country went by without a hiccup. The Lily was slowly growing before everyone's eyes; Uchiha & Co. couldn't have been more excited. However, Hinata and Sasuke barely said a word to one another since their blow up the other night; both parties doing their best to stay out of the other's way. Hinata didn't mind the space however, it was actually what she wanted the whole time. She was relieved to no longer have to deal with uncomfortable situations and forced conversations with Sasuke. If she were to be honest however, she was still pissed at him. No one had ever angered her to the point of swearing, no one other than Uchiha Sasuke. Hinata figured he got the hint though and she would never have to meet with him again.

The heiress was relieved the trip was over. She wasn't scheduled to go back on site for another few weeks and for that she was grateful – that meant a few weeks without Sasuke. Awesome.

When she arrived home she was delighted by an invitation to dinner with Naruto. A week with Sasuke was enough to make her miss her blonde sunshine. She changed into something nice; a dark purple pencil skirt and white chiffon blouse with nude pumps and gold earrings. She glossed over her lips with a light pink stain and added a bit of color to her cheeks. She hadn't had many opportunities in the last week to doll herself up and a date with Naruto was the perfect excuse to do so.

"Where you going looking all pretty?" a voice asked behind her.

Hinata turned and smiled, happy to see her little sister. "I'm going on a date with Naruto."

Hanabi flashed a smile before plopping down on her sister's big white bed. "Oh? Where are you two going?"

"Not sure," she said, "He's in the mood for Indian."

"Neji-niisan is supposed to be stopping by later," Hanabi mentioned. "Not to see dad or anything; he says he has some things for us from his business trip."

Hinata didn't respond. Instead she focused on her hair, straightening it until not a single wave was in sight.

"You know, it wouldn't have hurt if you brought back some gifts too," Hanabi patronized, pouting her lips.

Hinata didn't let it bother her though. "Why? Neji seems to spoil you enough; have fun tonight," she responded, grabbing her clear Chanel purse and dumping a few items into it.

Hanabi huffed. "He's got some stuff for you too."

"You keep everything," Hinata told her, leaving her room and traveling down the stairs.

Hinata wasn't a child anymore and so she didn't appreciate all the gifts Neji tried to lavish her with. The heiress had more than enough money to buy herself whatever she desired; she didn't need Neji's gifts; Hanabi could have it all.

As she walked out into the drive way, readying herself to hop into her white Range Rover, a familiar black bmw pulling in to the car port. She waited politely, watching as Neji parked and exited his car.

"Good evening, Hinata-chan," he said, approaching at a measured pace.

Hinata offered a tight-lipped smile. "Hello, niisan."

"You look pretty," he told her. "Going out?"

"Yes," she said, avoiding any details.

Neji could tell his cousin still harbored sour feelings towards him and he tried not to let it bother him too much. He knew she was no longer accepting his gifts and while it did hurt to some extent he didn't let it keep him from trying. Neji wasn't quite sure how to settle the bad air between the two of them but he figured Hinata would come around when she was ready to.

"Well, enjoy your evening," he told her.

"You too," she said, opening her car door and hopping inside.

Starting up the engine, Hinata frowned, watching as her cousin made his way towards the main entrance of her home. She pushed away the bad thoughts however, she had one too many bad thoughts as it was. She just wanted to meet up with Naruto and forget about all her worries for a few hours.

She pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction of the address Naruto had texted her. As she drove, however, she couldn't stop thinking of the argument she had with the Uchiha heir. Hinata sighed. If she were to be honest however, she'd have to admit that it was still bothering her. The idea of Naruto with anyone else made her feel like she might throw up.

Within no time she was pulling up to the restaurant and pushing away all thoughts of that bastard Sasuke. She climbed out of her car and offered the keys to valet before making her way inside. She offered her name to the hostess and was led to the table where Naruto waited for her.

She smiled when she saw him there, blue eyes and blonde hair dazzling, making her heart shutter in her chest. She had missed him so much and was about ready to fling herself into his arms when he stood but the feeling didn't last long. Her opal gaze caught the cyan one of the woman she hadn't noticed was sitting beside him and her heart instantly clenched.

"Hinata, I'm so glad you could make it," Naruto said, burying her in a hug.

The heiress couldn't enjoy the embrace quite as much as she would have liked to. Something here wasn't right. "Hello, Naruto-kun," she said, when he released her.

Her eyes never left the woman who had been sitting beside him however. Catching her gaze, Naruto grinned. "There's someone I want you to meet," he said, gesturing for the woman to stand up.

"Hinata, this is Ino; Ino, Hinata," he introduced the two.

The heiress offered her most charming smile, extending her hand to meet the woman. "Hello."

Ino smiled back, closing her hand around Hinata's a shaking it gently. "It's so good to finally meet you, Naruto won't stop talking about you."

Hinata bobbed her head and smiled, giving Ino a thorough once over.

The blonde wore her long hair in a tight, slicked pony-tail. Hinata noticed the slight make-up she wore; hints of pink to her cheeks and eye lids that matched her nail polish. The woman donned an emerald green dress that hugged her shapely figure and gold studs in her ears. She was beautiful.

"It's pleasure to meet you as well."

The trio sat and Hinata forced her gaze to the menu; she needed a moment to think. This couldn't be –

"I was going to wait to introduce Ino to everyone at the same time but I couldn't keep her a secret from my best friend for too long," Naruto said.

Best friend? "What do you mean?" Hinata asked, but she wasn't too sure which part of what he said she was the most confused by. Who this woman was exactly or when she became his 'best friend'.

"You know I've never had a girlfriend before, so I'm not exactly sure how these things go," Naruto said, looking a little embarrassed. "But I wanted you to be the first to meet her."

Hinata allowed herself to stare at the two of them. They made a lovely couple. Both blonde and sky-eyed, statuesque and lean. The heiress could picture the straw-haired babies they would make. Her stomach lurched.

She smiled however, placing a dainty hand over her heart, feeling the organ beating out of her chest. Sasuke was right. Naruto did have someone else. Hinata could just die right there at the table. She had been so stupid, so stupid for years. What was even worse was that she called Sasuke pathetic and he had been right about her being pathetic instead. How could this be happening, she wondered. She felt like she had been sucked into an alternate universe.

"G-girl friend, wow," she allowed herself to say finally, stumbling over her words just a bit.

"I know, isn't it crazy?" Naruto asked, chuckling.

"Definitely," Hinata said, taking a sip from the complimentary glass of water left before her.

"Naruto tells me you and he became really close after he went into the service," Ino said.

Hinata nodded. "Yeah."

"But we were always friends before that," Naruto mentioned. "Hinata's letters were the only things I looked forward to back then. I can honestly say Hinata helped me get through every hardship I had out there."

Hinata could feel the knots twisting and turning in her stomach. Her heart felt like it was going to explode if she didn't suck down more water. She wanted to fall apart so badly but refused to let them know how she suffered now. The heiress smiled instead. "Hn. What else was a friend supposed to do?" she responded softly.

"She's been helping me find a job too," Naruto said to Ino.

"Oh yeah, you're a Hyuuga. You work for Hyuuga Enterprises?" the blonde inquired.

"She doesn't just work for them, she's the Heiress," Naruto told her.

Ino seemed impressed but Hinata wasn't buying it. That blonde bitch knew exactly who she was. Hinata didn't mean to seem petty or conceited but Konoha was small place and everyone in the Fire Country and beyond knew who she was. Sakura might have been a model, but Hinata was the heiress to a mega corporation, she had had cameras in her face since the day she was born.

"Hn," was all the heiress said, trying her best to keep her poker-face on.

"Wow," Ino exclaimed softly. "That must be nice."

Hinata shrugged her shoulders bit, glancing down at the menu once again. "I suppose."

"You haven't been here before have you, Hinata?" Naruto asked, watching her study the menu.

"No," she said honestly. "Can't say that I've had Indian before either; I've heard good things however."

"Ino told me about this place; we came here for our first date," he told her.

Hinata ignored the pang in her chest.

"Yeah, he ended up farting the entire night," Ino said, laughing and shaking her head.

"Apparently Indian food doesn't quite mix well with my stomach, but it's damned good."

The two began laughing and exchanging stories of that night and then some. The heiress did her best to be polite, laughing when appropriate and smiling enough to not set off any alarms. She was just so confused. Here she was, thinking that things between herself and Naruto were heading in the right direction when unbeknownst to her, he had been cozying up to someone else. How long had this been going on for her? Why this blonde and not her? Who was this girl? The heiress had so many questions bubbling in her gut but she couldn't seem to find the right way to ask them without looking crazy.

She definitely felt crazy, however.

Hinata deemed herself an idiot right then and there. The whole time over here, the whole time she had been getting dressed, she thought this was going to be a date. Instead, Naruto wanted her to meet his fucking girlfriend. Hinata could just barf on them. Sasuke was right, she was definitely pathetic. Her opal eyes watched the two of them and she thought of how well matched they seemed to be. The blonde was equally as silly as Naruto and seemed to have the same care-free attitude as him to boot. Of course he was attracted to someone like this. Hinata couldn't stand it any longer.

"Well, I'm glad you're here, Ino-san," Hinata said, interrupting the two of them. "I actually can't stay much longer tonight, I made a promise with Sakura to meet with her as well. Now I don't feel so bad about ditching Naruto."

A lie, but if she sat there any longer her heart was sure to burst from her chest and she wasn't quite sure how much longer she could keep the tears at bay.

Naruto looked surprised. "You haven't even ordered yet," he said.

"Yeah I know, but I don't want to be late," she said standing up. "I'm just going to see what desert I can get to go at the front."

The blonde bobbed his head, watching as she slung her purse over her shoulder. Hinata offered the couple her winning smile, extending her hand across the table for Ino's. "It was so good to meet you. You two make such a lovely couple," she said, the two shaking hands again. "Be sure to bring her around, Naruto-kun; everyone's going to love her."

Naruto could tell Hinata was faking it however. She might be able to fool millions, but Naruto wasn't one of them. When it came to Hinata it was like reading a children's book to him. There was nothing he didn't notice. Hinata was hurt. Perhaps this had been the wrong way to tell her.

"Have a good night you two," Hinata said, bidding her farewell and walking away from the table.

She managed to hold it in for a lot longer than she thought she would have. It wasn't until she had retrieved her car from valet and was already on the express way that she broke down. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks, followed by desperate sobbing all the way home.

Much love,

Rampantt