Cover My Eyes

by, Rampantt

Chapter Fifteen: DTR

Sakura stared at the screen of her phone, balancing the sleek device in her dainty hand. She was in between takes at her latest photoshoot; she managed to snag another ad campaign despite the chaos in her life. She had been browsing social media when she stumbled on a story about the two people who once meant the world to her. The pinkette knew it was not in her best interest to follow the stories surrounding the pair but she couldn't bring herself not to. Social media had been flooded for the last few hours with images of Hinata and Sasuke. Apparently, the two were spotted out to dinner the night before. Sakura held the device up closer, green eyes squinted at the pictures – they didn't look photoshopped like the others.

So they are dating…

Sakura felt her heart hammering in her chest, but not of heartache, but anger. She was furious. She had just seen that bitch the day before and she looked so scared and pathetic when they met. She had been beating herself up for being so mean to her but now, staring at Hinata's smiling face, Sakura wished she had yanked her hair out in that showroom instead. Part of her still couldn't believe that Hinata had truly run off with Sasuke, her Sasuke. Had their friendship really meant nothing to Hinata? So many years of sisterhood summed up to nothing. Sakura was dealing with two heart breaks. She could manage Sasuke not loving her anymore, she could lick her wounds and move on and find love again, she was sure of that. It was thoughts of Hinata, however, that kept her up at night.

The pinkette placed her phone down, unable to look at the photos any longer. She had never fought with Hinata, not like this anyway. It had been over a month since they last spoke to each other. It killed her that so many new and exciting things were happening in her life and she couldn't share it with her best friend. The most devasting of all was that Hinata hadn't even picked up the phone once to call her. Sakura knew in her heart that she was not the one at fault in this situation. She had done a lot of fucked up things in her life and to other women, but never Hinata; she was her precious friend. It burned her inside to know that Hinata did not feel the same way. How could it be that she hadn't even called? Didn't she feel bad enough to at least grovel a little?

Sakura bit into her bottom lip to hold back her emotions. Groveling was not something the Hyuuga heiress would ever do…but damn it she could show just a tiny bit of remorse. Sakura wanted desperately to make up and forgive her friend, but she couldn't be the one to give in first; she couldn't be the weak one especially since Hinata was the one who snatched her boyfriend. She could feel the tears building up in the back of her eyeballs, stinging her and begging her to let them fall. Sakura forced herself not to. She couldn't be caught emotional, especially not here with so many desperate eyes praying on her down fall.

Standing suddenly from her seat, Sakura squared her shoulders and stood tall.

Fuck that.

She had to remind herself that she was Sakura fucking Haruno. She could replace Sasuke easily and with so many girls desperate to be buddy-buddy with her, she was certain she could replace that back-stabbing Hinata too.

They can have each other, she told herself. She was not a weak woman. She was smart and strong, beautiful and powerful. The world was hers. Sakura decided then she would learn from the aching in her chest. This was the last time anyone would ever get the chance to fuck with her. With that in mind, it was time to get to work.

Sasuke was happy these days. He couldn't remember the last time he was excited for anything that wasn't work related. In fact, work had seldom crossed his mind in the last few weeks. His days were filled with Hinata. It was interesting to him how someone who used to mean nothing at all had become so important in such a small amount of time. They hadn't defined their relationship yet, but he was certain that they were now dating. He saw her at least three times that week so that had to mean that they were dating. Not that Sasuke was in any rush to change their dynamic. For now, he was enjoying getting to know her without having to make up excuses to run into her. It was refreshing to be able to call her without hesitation and her actually picking up.

Sasuke had never been the type to be sprung but Hinata had him feeling things he had never felt before. It was just something about her. Her cool nature brought him such peace. It was nice to be around someone and not forced into small-talk; he could just be around her, neither one of them desperate to fill the silence with conversation. They were together at her place, both working on their own projects for the respective jobs. Sasuke had been there for several hours, enjoying her company and being in her space. Her home was more comfortable than his was, or rather, it had that feminine energy that was missing from his condo.

He found himself staring at her, studying the planes of her face. She was seated at the dining room table, all sorts of important documents spread out before her. Sasuke watched as she tucked the lock of hair that rebelled against her ponytail behind her ear. She had her glasses on and looked to be focused on her laptop. He wondered offhandedly what she was up to over there.

"You're staring at me…" she said softly, still focused on her work.

"Hm… you wouldn't have noticed that if you were taking work seriously," he said to her.

She looked up from her laptop, a certain look in her eyes. "You're definitely welcome to leave then if you consider yourself a distraction."

Sasuke smirked. "I'm not too bad of a distraction, am I?"

"Sometimes," she quipped.

Sasuke found himself smiling at her now. She always had a comeback for him. He liked the way she looked when she was annoyed at him, her little nose would crinkle a bit and her brows crumpled until she was frowning. He couldn't help but feel that she was cutest when she made that face. He wondered about the other faces she had yet to show him…

"Are you hungry?" he asked her.

She perked up, her expression relaxing. "Yeah, I am. I've been craving sushi all week. Should we get take out?"

"We can," he said. "I know you don't want to be seen with me in public these days."

Hinata's face turned a deep red. "That's not true."

Sasuke didn't mind it, he preferred to spend time with her alone anyway. That didn't stop him from poking fun at her, of course. "Oh?" he wondered out loud. "I seem to remember a certain someone being embarrassed about the blog posts about our last….outing."

Hinata bit the bottom of her lip. He was right. She was embarrassed about that, but not for the reason he thought. She didn't care what the public thought about them seeing each other. She was concerned with Sakura and how she felt. There was also the fact that she was hesitant to relieve the nature of their relationship to her father. She wondered if it was best to let him speculate or if she should be honest. It wasn't like the truth was too much different than the stories running on the blogs and gossip mags.

Sasuke, seeming to pick up on her thoughts attempted to make the situation better. "I know you have your reasons."

Hinata swallowed past the lump in her throat. Sasuke was so understanding. Sometimes she wondered if he could read her mind. She didn't have to spell out how she was feeling to him all the time. It was nice to be understood without having to speak. She offered him a sweet smile. Hinata wasn't 100% sure of what they were doing but she had to admit that she was coming to enjoy spending time with him and learning more about him. They had known of each other for so long but had never really gotten the chance to actually know one another. Hinata was starting to become a little attached to the raven heartbreaker. They were more alike than she had ever known.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts. She stood up from her seat, playfully gliding her fingers against the back of his hand before making her way over to the door. She looked at her video-com to see who was outside. That same pesky lump began to grow in her throat as she gazed at the excited expression of her once….she didn't even know what to call him.

"Naruto is here," said Hinata, turning to look back at Sasuke.

He was seated comfortably at the table, a bored expression on his face. "So?" he asked with a shrug. "We can ignore him." Sasuke hadn't been in the mood for Naruto for quite some time and it had everything to do with Hinata.

She laughed a bit. "We could do that, but my car is parked out front…so is yours."

"So?" he asked again, his expression unchanging.

Hinata laughed at him, shaking her head. "We can't just hide in here."

"I wouldn't mind that."

"Stop being silly," Hinata laughed again, pressing the button on the video-com to unlock the front door.

Sasuke released a sigh, listening as the blonde made his way through the front door.

"Hinata!" Naruto said loudly, a huge grin taking over his face. He rushed over to her and held her in a hug for a long while. "Oh Hinata! I'm so glad you opened the door, I was certain you were going to pretend not to be home."

Hinata laughed nervously, releasing herself from his grasp. "I wouldn't do something like that, Naruto-kun."

Naruto made a face of skepticism at her. "Sure, you would. It's only because your car is out front. Don't think I haven't caught on to you, y'know!"

Hinata's cheeks flushed pink. He was right. She had been avoiding him for some time and the only reason she hadn't today was because her car was parked out front, so she wouldn't have appeared polite by ignoring the door; especially considering that she can see who is at the door before opening it.

"Anyway… what brings you here?" she asked him, trying not to appear too awkward.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Sasuke asked, cutting in.

Naruto turned to Sasuke's direction, genuinely surprised to see him. "Sasuke? What are you doing here?"

Sasuke's brow cocked. "I'm a guest."

"What?! You mean you stayed the night here?!" Naruto asked, a shocked expression taking over his face as he looked between the two of them.

I wish… Sasuke thought to himself. Before he could give an answer, Hinata was already on it.

"N-No! O-Of course not, Naruto-kun!" said Hinata, her face a dark red. "What kind of woman do you th-think I am?"

Hinata's heart was racing, desperate to break free from her ribcage. Hinata had never had a man stay overnight with her and she had most definitely never done that. It's not that she never thought about it or that the opportunity never presented itself, she simply hadn't. Over the last few weeks, she had been spending more time with Sasuke and learning him and from time to time she caught herself wondering what it would be like to really be with him. She had loved Naruto for so long that it was weird to her that she was attracted to another man.

Hinata couldn't help it. Now that she was seeing Sasuke, she was starting to really see him. She noticed him in ways she wasn't sure she had ever really noticed Naruto. She often caught herself enjoying his smell when they hugged, stealing a few extra moments to bask in his cologne. She liked the way he carried himself and how his body moved when he walked; he was so sure of himself and she knew that he could back up that swagger. Hinata would be a liar if she said she never noticed his body. He was tall and athletic, even though he didn't appear to be the type she could tell that he worked out regularly. It had been a while since they last kissed and Hinata was becoming more and more aware of that fact the more they spent time together. Every time his lips curled into one of his famous smirks she remembered what they felt like pressed against hers.

She looked over at Sasuke who was giving her a knowing look. There were the downsides of there being someone who understood her without speaking, she realized. She was completely mortified now that Sasuke knew that she had been thinking about him in that way.

Th-thump… Th-thump.

Hinata was certain that her heart would explode at any moment.

"I'm sorry Hinata," Naruto said, running a hand through his blonde locks. "I guess I was just caught of guard seeing this jerk."

Sasuke scoffed. He wasn't the jerk that - never mind, he was a jerk. "What do you want, Naruto?"

Naruto shot him a look. He was really annoyed seeing Sasuke so comfortable in Hinata's home especially since she had him on ice for weeks. He found himself wondering what was going on between the two of them. He could tell by Hinata's reaction that something was brewing here. He had his suspicions several months ago and he had obviously seen the blogs. Naruto had just chalked the blog posts up to being garbage, they seldom ever got the right story anyway. But now, looking between the two of them he couldn't shake the feeling that the blogs were telling the truth.

"Are you two….dating?" Naruto asked. These were his two best friends and for as long as he could remember they never seemed to click so none of this was even making sense. "What about Sakura-chan?"

That struck a nerve with Hinata. "We are not dating!" she exclaimed.

A tick started in Sasuke's jaw and it was all he could do not to get angry. They had spent most of their free time together for the last few weeks and this girl boldly announced that they were not dating? Sasuke didn't know how to react. He wanted to throw a fit, honestly, but he was too cool for that. Sure, he might not have said it out loud but Hinata had to know what was going on with them. He had been chasing her for almost a year now, surely, she knew he wasn't looking to be her buddy.

Fuck that. He was not afraid of the Hyuuga heiress and was not going to allow her to toy with him. He didn't care who got hurt, Hinata was his and he was no longer going to shy away from it.

"We are dating," Sasuke said, flatly.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Naruto and Hinata at the same time, the both of them looking at the Uchiha rebel in shock.

"I said what I said," Sasuke said firmly, his brows crumpling. This girl had a lot of nerve. Never in his life has a woman ever reacted to him the way that Hinata did. Granted, their situation was a bit more complex, so he was willing to give her the space she needed. However, Sasuke was damn sure that she was going to claim him from here on out whenever anyone asked her about him and that was that on that.

Hinata was even more embarrassed now. "I need a drink…" she said softly, excusing herself to the kitchen to prepare brown liquor combination to clear her thoughts.

Naruto on the other hand stood still, his mouth open and his shocked expression unchanging. "Sasuke….have you lost your mind?" he asked his best friend.

Sasuke wondered about that. "Not really."

Naruto shook his head. This jerk was crazy. "I get it, I get Hinata's appeal, but come on man…think of Sakura-chan."

Sasuke sighed. He had thought of Sakura and he knew that what he had with Hinata complicated a lot of things. They stayed out of the public eye for weeks for Sakura's sake. They took things so slow because of Sakura. He wasn't upset about it, it was after all his fault for chasing her best friend. Sasuke knew that getting together with Hinata wasn't going to easy but he also knew that he was happiest when he was around her. He knew that not seeing her made him anxious. He knew that he wanted to spend as much his time with her as he could. He also knew that he wouldn't let any other man have her. Because of that, he was prepared to handle any obstacle that came between them, even if that obstacle was Sakura or even Naruto. Nothing was going to stop him. Uchiha Sasuke was the sort of man who got what he wanted.

"Naruto… I can't let her go," he said honestly.

Naruto was stunned by his admission. So stunned that he had to take a seat. In all the years that he knew Sasuke, he never knew him to talk about women, not even Sakura. He was honestly surprised at Sasuke. What did he miss? How had things stirred up between those two and he missed it? Naruto felt bad for Sakura in that moment. He could tell by the look on Sasuke's face that he was serious.

"Just don't hurt her like you did Sakura," Naruto said after a while.

"I won't. Hinata doesn't have any other friends," Sasuke quipped.

Naruto gasped. "Sasuke!"

"I'm joking, relax," he said with a smirk.

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "It's too soon for jokes like that, jerk."

Sasuke shrugged but figured he was probably right about that. "So why are you really here?" he asked.

Naruto just glared at Sasuke for a while, disgusted at the situation. He figured he would let it go for the time being. A small smile spread across his lips. "I'm getting married."

"To who?"

"Ino."

"Who?"

Naruto gave him a look. "Ino. I told you about her."

"Oh… I guess you did," Sasuke said, not too impressed by his admission.

Naruto was getting annoyed. "I just told you that I found the love of my life and I'm getting married and this is your reaction?!" he exclaimed.

A loud crash came from the kitchen, causing them both the stand up and rush inside.

There they found Hinata, shattered glass all over the kitchen floor and a mortified look on her face.

"Hinata! Are you okay?" asked Naruto.

"Y-yeah… I uh… wow," Hinata said, stepping away from the broken glass. Naruto was getting married.

Naruto is getting married.

Married.

"I need some air," she said at last. "Excuse me…"

She let herself out of the door by her refrigerator, escaping to her back yard. A million thoughts were running through her mind. Naruto was getting married….and to a woman he had only met a few months ago. Married. She had loved him for years and they had never once even gone on a date, but he met someone else and in a short while decided to marry her. Hinata thought she couldn't have been more hurt than she was when he told her he had a girlfriend. Now that he was getting a wife Hinata didn't know what to think.

"Hinata…"

She turned slowly and found Sasuke standing there, a certain look in his eyes. It was a look she had come all too familiar with.

"Sasuke…"

He didn't say anything at first. Instead, he closed the distance between them until they were face to face. Hinata's heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She knew she liked Sasuke but Naruto coming over and dropping that bomb on them really stirred up feelings she thought were gone.

"Do you still love him?" he asked her plainly.

Hinata didn't know what to say. She knew what she was supposed to say but the words wouldn't come.

"I'm not going to play games with you Hinata," Sasuke said. "You have to pick me, or him, once and for all."

"I don't want to play games either," she said softly, unable to look him in the eye.

Sasuke was silent for a while. Hinata was almost certain he would never say anything. She found the courage to look at him finally and didn't like what she saw there. He would never admit to it but she knew that her reaction to Naruto had hurt him. She hated to be the reason why he was hurting. "Sasuke I – "

"Don't say anything you don't mean," he said to her, interrupting her.

Sasuke took a step back so that he could get a good look at her. She was beautiful, and it pained him that she may not feel what he felt. He thought things were going well between them and now all he could think was that perhaps he was the only one who felt anything at all.

"Sasuke…" she said softly. "You know how I feel about you."

Sasuke chuckled a bit. "No Hinata, I don't."

Hinata hated this moment. She had obviously fucked everything up. She seemed to be doing a lot of fucking up recently. Things were strained with Naruto and Sakura but she found comfort in knowing that she had Sasuke. In a short time he had become her person. She missed him when he wasn't around and when he was around it was all that she could do to keep her hands to herself. In that moment, looking at the hurt in his eyes she wanted nothing more than to close the space between them and kiss him. She wanted to kiss him for all the times she pushed him away and all the times she hid from her feelings from him.

"I'll give you time to sort out your feelings," he said at last, breaking the silence.

He was beginning to walk away from her now. Hinata couldn't let him leave, not like this. She reached out to him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her cheek against his back. They stood like that for a long while, neither one of them speaking and neither one of them moving.

Sasuke's first instinct was to push her off him. He was no one's second choice. But he was weak. His pride told him to leave but his damned heart wanted him to stay.

"Please don't leave," she whispered into his shirt.

His heart began to thump. His damned heart was at it again. "What are you going to do to make me stay?"

Hinata was caught off guard by that question and heat instantly filled her cheeks. Sasuke could tell by her silence that she misunderstood him. "Don't be a pervert," he told her, cupping her small hands in his.

Hinata held onto him tighter now. She couldn't handle the idea of him leaving her. Not when she felt like this; not when she was starting to…

"You can say it," he told her.

She hesitated.

"You want me to say it first?"

Her heart hitched in her throat.

He pulled her hands down and turned to face. Her eyes were wet with tears. He hated to see her like that. He knew that their situation was complex, and he knew that nothing was going to be easy, but he was ready to make it work if she was. He leaned in slowly, giving her a chance to step away if she wanted to. To his pleasure, she stood up on her tippy-toes and closed the gap that remained between them. Hinata had actually kissed him first. The both of them were surprised. Surprise didn't last long though; Sasuke wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against his body to kiss her the way that he had always wanted to.

When they finally broke apart Sasuke pressed his forehead against hers, looking into her clear eyes. "I love you, Hinata."

"I love you too," she said softly.

"Well now that that's over, are we going to pop open this bottle of champagne or what? I'm the one who is getting married!" Naruto cut in.

The two of them turned to find Naruto hanging out of the back door, holding an obnoxiously large bottle of champagne that he must have brought with him. He was giving them a toothy grin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't you know when to give people some privacy?"

"Well today was supposed to be about me anyway, bring your asses inside and let's celebrate!" Naruto encouraged them.

Shaking his head, Sasuke took Hinata's hand, leading her back into the house.

Hinata's heart was still pounding from what just happened between them. She wondered if things would really be okay. Was it really okay from her to love him out loud? Hinata wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but she wanted to find out. She wanted to know what she and Sasuke could be.

Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading this chapter. I am well aware that I am years late on updating this story. Ha, I know most of you are probably too mad to care about my excuses so I won't make any. I did abandon this story, and fan-fiction in general. I logged on a few weeks ago randomly and saw all the reviews that people left, asking me to contiune this story and I felt so bad about it. My mind has been sick for the last few years and honestly I haven't written anything in years, just ideas here and there but nothing solid. I recenly purchased a new laptop and thought that it would give me the motivation to start writing again. I figured I could get my juices following again by continuing this story. I already had the plot figured out all the way to the end so writing this chapter was not difficult for me. Please bare with me everyone. I will be releasing the next chapter soon. Thank you for supporting me and this story, I hope everyone enjoyed this.