TheBloodyLoveOfSakuraHaruno, I saw your reviews and they cheered me up. I truly do appreciate you taking the time to write the reviews, they really do encourage me to keep going! I totally get what you mean about the clothes, my house was like that a few days ago, until I decided to finally attack them and put them away! 😝
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter too, take care and much love!
XXX
Gaara was sat in his office, going through his many emails. He checked on the progress of the contract that he had selected and was happy to see that it was going well. Thanks to the contract, many jobs became available and many people around Suna were able to apply. Gaara had made sure that anyone would be given a chance to prove themselves and work and it had paid off, even if some of the board members had called it a reckless move.
He responded to a few more emails when his phone pinged beside him. He unlocked his phone and found a message from Naruto.
Forgot to mention last night, Sakura and Ino are happy to meet up today.
Gaara looked at the message and groaned, remembering that he had agreed to a night out with Naruto and his two friends, one who had recently become a resident of Suna. He checked his personal emails and found the reservation for Shukaku at half seven today. He looked at his computer, at all the unread emails that needed his attention. He would be here all day and barely have time to go for dinner. He was about to message Naruto to reschedule when Temari opened his door and walked in with a bag. Gaara watched her as she sat down and looked at him.
"You haven't got long until you go out with Naruto and his friends you know."
Gaara glanced at the clock, it was half past five. "I'm not going," he started to type a message.
"Yes, you are," Temari told him. "You haven't spent time with Naruto properly, go and spend time with him."
"There is too much to do," he pointed at his computer, "I need to reply to the emails and make sure that everything is-
"I can do that, Kankuro can do that," she interrupted him, "you need to go and have fun."
"But-
"No buts, ifs or anything," she held her hand up, "you are going out and that is that. Now go home and get ready.
"It's not going to take me two hours to get ready," Gaara pointed out.
"No, but it will take you an hour before you leave here and go home to get ready," Temari countered, her lips pulled to the side in a victorious smirk.
"I'll leave when I'm done, you can go." Gaara turned his attention back to his computer.
"I'm not leaving until you do," she opened her bag and pulled out her laptop, firing it up and opening the email application.
"What are you doing?" Gaara looked at her and her laptop.
"Helping you." She skimmed through the emails, "I'll reply back to the board members and deal with them," she clicked on an email and read through it.
Gaara opened his mouth to argue, but he knew it wasn't worth it, Temari was stubborn and once she had an idea, nothing stopped her from seeing it through. He placed his phone down and wenth though emails from their clients, replying to them and arranging meetings for next week to talk through the progress.
By the time half six rolled up, the two siblings had gone through several emails. "Now you can go home and get ready," Temari smiled at him.
Gaara shook his head, a small smile spreading across his lips, "fine," he closed down the applications and shut down his computer. He grabbed his phone and keys and stood up. "Did you drive here?" He asked Temari.
"No, I made Kankuro drop me off," her smile widening, "he was very happy to help me."
"I bet," Gaara chuckled, "come on, let's go home together." He waited for Temari to put her laptop away and together they made their way to his car.
The drive home took twenty minutes, and most of the journey was quiet, which suited Gaara just fine. Once home, he walked to his room and into his bathroom, he started the shower and stripped out of his work clothes. He had a quick shower and got out, wrapping a towel around his waist.
In his room, he quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans and a smart white shirt and his brown boots, the look was smart yet casual. He sprayed his aftershave and pocketed his keys and phone and made his way to the living room, finding Temari and Kankuro sat watching a TV show about a young girl with supernatural abilities who has to save the world from some kind of demon from another dimension.
"I'm going out, I probably won't be too long."
Temari turned towards him, "go and have fun, you don't need to rush back for us."
"Yeah, little brother, who knows, you might bump into that pink head you were snogging the other week." Kankuro winked at him.
Temari slapped the back of his head, "what is wrong with you?"
"Ow!" he rubbed the back of his head, "I want to know what is wrong with you?!"
The two began bickering about what the other did, Gaara sighed and walked away, not wanting to get caught up in their arguments. He got into his car and drove to the restaurant. He walked in and was greeted by the hostess.
"Welcome to Shukaku, would you like a table for one, sir?" she smiled at him.
"Hi, I've got a reservation for half seven," he informed her.
The woman nodded and clicked on the tablet, "your name sir?"
"Gaara Sabaku."
The woman went through the tablet and smiled, "yes, I have you here. There will be four of you?" she looked at him.
"Yes," Gaara nodded, "they should be here…" he looked down at his watch, "soon."
The lady nodded at him, "would you like to wait at the bar or would you like me to take you to your table?"
"The table, please."
"Sure, please follow me."
Gaara followed the lady towards the back of the restaurant, a more secluded area. "Thank you," he gave her a small smile as he sat down.
"What would you like to drink while you wait, Mr. Sabaku?"
"I'll have a water, please," he gave her a small smile.
The hostess nodded and walked away, leaving Gaara alone. He looked around the place. There were different shades of sandstone around the place, dotted with accents of blue. There were planters across the walls, with greenery hanging down, adding to the beauty of the place. He had heard a lot about the restaurant but had never visited.
He checked his watch again, seven fifteen. He grabbed his phone and messaged Naruto, letting him know that he was at the restaurant.
XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo
"Are you ladies ready?" Naruto called impatiently from the bottom of the stairs, "Gaara is already at the restaurant and is waiting for us."
"We're almost done," Ino shouted down. She applied eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss and looked at her reflection. "Perfect," she smiled at herself. She wore the new dress that she had purchased with Sakura the day before, a mid-length purple dress, with spaghetti straps and a cowl neckline. She slipped into her silver heels and put on silver earrings. She turned to look at Sakura, "stop fussing with your dress and get your shoes on!" She demanded.
"This is a bit much for a meal out…"
"It's never too much," Ino grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her towards the mirror, "sit down," grabbed the eyeliner and mascara, "close your eyes." Five minutes later, she was done, "there, now you look stunning."
Sakura looked at herself. She was wearing an emerald green dress, similar to Ino's, but she had paired it with gold heels and gold earrings. "Ino…" she started.
"We haven't got time," Ino smiled sweetly and ushered Sakura out of the room and towards the stairs, both bags in hand, "let's go before Naruto comes searching for us."
They made it down the stairs and looked at Naruto, he was dressed in jeans, a smart white shirt and black boots. "Are you two ready to go?" he eyed the women.
"Yes, let's go," Sakura took her bag from Ino and made sure her phone, purse and keys were in there. "How are we getting there?"
"I got us a taxi." As Naruto finished his sentence, the car pulled up.
"Taxi for Naruto?"
"Right on time," he beamed at the driver. He opened the back door for Ino and Sakura before getting in the front, "can you take us to Shukaku please?"
"Sure," the man tapped on the meter and the satnav, and started to drive.
They arrived and Naruto paid the fair. They got out and Sakura looked at the building. It was beautiful in a unique way. There were sandstone pillars by the entrance, most of the walls were covered with large tinted windows, letting those inside look out, but those outside could only guess what the inside looked like.
They walked to the entrance and were greeted by a hostess who was dressed in a smart white top and black trousers.
"Welcome to Shukaku, just to let you know, we are quite busy tonight and there is a twenty minute wait."
Naruto smiled at the woman, "we have a reservation under the name of Gaara Sabaku."
The woman looked at them and smiled, "welcome, Mr. Sabaku is waiting for you. I'll show you to the table."
"Thank you," the trio said in unison. They followed the woman through the restaurant, and Sakura was blown away by the beauty of it.
"Here you are," Sakura smiled at the lady and looked over at the table, her eyes widening in surprise and shock, her lips parting slightly at the sight of the man in front of her. Shit, shit, shit, shit, it can't be him!
"Hey Gaara," Naruto walked towards him and shook his hand, "sorry to have kept you."
"No worries," he shook Naruto's hand and turned to face the two ladies. His eyes falling on the pinkette, the same pinkette that had kissed him. She was looking at him with a shocked expression and he was sure, his eyes had the same.
"Hi, I'm Ino," the blonde lady next to her spoke up, pulling both of them out of their thoughts, "thanks for inviting us out." Ino nudged Sakura slightly.
"Yes, thank you," she spoke quickly and held out her hand.
"Please, take a seat," Gaara told them, his eyes constantly falling to the pinkette. He sat down and waited until they were sat to ask, "I didn't catch your name."
"My name?" Sakura looked at him.
Gaara nodded, "yes, your name…"
"Oh, urmm, my name is Sakura, Sakura Haruno… Nice to meet you, Gaara," Sakura gave him a tight smile, cringing at her own words.
Naruto looked between them, "do you two know each other?"
Sakura quickly shook her head, "no, this is the first time I'm meeting him," she gave him a tight smile, if only you knew… She turned to look at Gaara, waiting to hear his response.
"It's the first time we are meeting," he gave her a small smile, "it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Naruto."
"Likewise," Sakura returned the smile, "he has told me a lot about you too."
Just then, a waiter arrived at their table and Sakura sighed quietly with relief.
"Good evening, my name is Sewa and I will be your waiter tonight." He placed down four menus on the table, "what can I get you to drink?"
"I'll have a beer please," Naruto ordered.
"Can we get a bottle of white wine please, and two glasses," Ino added.
The man nodded and turned towards Gaara, "for yourself sir?"
"I'll have another water, please."
The man nodded, "I'll be back with your drinks," he walked away leaving them alone again.
For a while, neither of them said anything, and Sakura kept stealing glances at Gaara, wondering whether he recognised her, and what he must think about her. Mentally, she kicked herself over and over for being such an idiot the last time she had met him and now as well, the way she'd reacted when she saw him and then when he asked for her name.
"How has your day been Gaara?" Naruto asked.
"It's been good, thank you. How about you? How has your day been?" Gaara looked at all three of them, his eyes lingering on Sakura for a little longer.
"It's been alright. I managed to sort out the contract issues with the company I was telling you about," Naruto told him, "so that's a win. Now I can at least enjoy my time here before I go back," he grinned.
Sakura found Gaara's voice to be as alluring as before, if not more. She also happened to notice how his eyes would linger on hers before he looked away, making her blush slightly. She looked away, trying to hid her blush, when she looked back, he was looking at her and she lost herself in his eyes. Eyes that were vibrant green, greener than hers and they seemed to hold so many stories. Stories she wanted to know.
"Oi, forehead, what's going on with you?" Ino whispered at her, pulling her attention away from Gaara.
"What?" Sakura looked over at her.
"Why are you staring at Gaara with a blush across your face?" she scrutinised the pinkette, trying to find out what was on her mind.
"I wasn't," Sakura picked up the menu, hiding her face from the blonde. She went through it several times before deciding on the pan seared salmon, fondant potatoes and tender greens. She turned to look at Ino, finding her still looking at her. "What?" Sakura whispered to her.
"What's up with you?" Ino whispered back low enough that only Sakura could hear her.
"Nothing," Sakura answered, turning her attention back to the menu.
"You're going to play dumb?" Ino raised an eyebrow. When Sakura didn't reply she added, "I'll ask Gaara, shall I?"
"You wouldn't dare!" Sakura hissed.
"Is everything okay…?" Gaara asked, looking between the women.
Sakura put the menu down and smiled at him, "yes, everything is fine, thanks."
Ino looked over at Sakura, finding her best friend pleading to her with her eyes, she smirked and turned to face Gaara. "We were just talking about the menu, and what sounds appealing," she turned to face Sakura again, "weren't we, Sakura?" she asked sweetly.
Sakura forced herself to smile at Ino, even though she wanted to throttle the woman, "yes, we were," she spoke through clenched teeth.
Gaara picked up a menu and looked through it. The only dish that appealed to him was the salmon.
At that moment, the waiter came back with the drinks. He poured the wine for Sakura and Ino. "Do you know what you'd like to eat?"
Naruto pulled a menu towards him, quickly scanning it, "I'll have the house ramen please," he smiled wide, happy to find ramen on the menu.
"I'll have the pan seared salmon, fondant potatoes and tender greens, please," Gaara ordered and handed over the menu to the waiter.
Sakura looked at the waiter, "I'll have the salmon too, please."
"Can I have the seared honey duck please," Ino smiled and handed over her menu.
The waiter nodded and typed at the tablet. "If you need anything else, please let me know." He collected the menus and left.
For a short moment, they all sat in an awkward silence, each looking at one another before turning their attention to their surroundings. Sakura turned to Gaara. "So, Gaara, what do you do?" Sakura asked, Her eyes on his, but they kept drifting down to his lips, remembering how he had kissed her and held her. She bit the inside of her lip hard trying to stop her thoughts from wandering.
"I am a joint CEO with my siblings at Sabaku Inc, we took over from our father," he took a sip of his water, "what about you?"
"I'm a doctor at the hospital," she gave him a small smile.
"Naruto mentioned that you'd moved from Konoha recently, what prompted the move to Suna? If you don't mind me asking," he watched her eyes, noticing how they would drop to his lips and quickly back up. He tried to hid the smile that threatened to appear.
"I needed a change of scenery, and Suna happened to be in need of a doctor, so here I am," she chuckled lightly.
"Are you enjoying working in Suna?" He enjoyed listening to her talk.
"I am," Sakura smiled, "the people I work with are amazing, and we all get along so well."
"That's great to hear," he smiled in return.
The waiter arrived with their food and placed it down for them, "is there anything else I could for either of you?"
"No, thank you," they all answered in unison, "thank you for the food."
"Enjoy," he bowed slightly and walked away.
"This looks delicious," Sakura looked down at her dish. The fish was succulent and the skin perfectly crispy, the potatoes were seasoned impeccably and the vegetables were delicious. They all tucked in, eating quietly and enjoying the food.
"We should go to a bar after we're done here," Ino said, finishing her glass of wine and the last morsel of her food.
"Sounds like a good idea, we should go to the bar Sakura was telling us about," Naruto added, slurping the broth of his ramen and wiping his mouth, "you're coming with us Gaara."
Sakura and Gaara looked at one another before looking at the other two, both opening their mouths to protest, but being silenced by Ino.
"I'm all dressed up and I want to enjoy the rest of the evening and you are coming with us, like it or not," she narrowed her blue eyes at Sakura, daring her to argue with her.
Sakura looked towards Gaara, hoping that he would come up with some kind of excuse.
"Gaara, we haven't spent enough time together in a long time, let's go out and have fun," Naruto grinned at him, "you don't have to stay too long."
Gaara agreed reluctantly, it had been a long while since he had spent time with Naruto. "Okay, I'll go, but only for a while."
"Perfect," Naruto grinned wider.
With the meal paid for, the group made their way to the Desert Rose. As they walked in, they were greeted by loud music, the shouts of laughter and peoples chatter, every now and then, catching a few words every now and then.
"I'll get the first round in, while you try and find a table," Sakura shouted towards them. She watched as they walked through the crowd and made her way to the bar, "hi," she smiled at the bar tender.
"Hey there," the woman smiled at her, "what can I get you?"
"Can I have two lemon gins and lemonades, a beer and a whiskey please."
"Coming up," the lady got busy making the drinks and placed them on a tray for her. "Are you paying by cash or card?"
"Card, please," Sakura pulled out her card and tapped the machine. She put her card back in her bag and grabbed the tray, "thank you," she smiled at the bar tender and walked towards the group. "Here you are," she handed the drinks to everyone.
Gaara looked down at his drink and smiled, surprised that she had remembered what he was drinking the night he had met her, in this bar, "thank you."
"How did you know what he drinks?" Ino eyed Sakura, an eyebrow raised, "I thought this was your first time meeting him."
"I guessed…?" Sakura replied and grabbed her drink, taking a large sip. She avoided looking at eith Ino or Gaara, and when an upbeat song started, she downed her drink, grabbed Ino's hand and dragged the blonde onto the dance floor.
They danced to several songs together, laughing and having a good time before going back to the table. Ino finished off her drink and offered to get more drinks for everyone. Leaving Sakura and Gaara on their own.
Sakura moved towards him and looked up at him, she gave him a small smile, "I… I'm sorry," she shouted over the music.
"For what?" Gaara finished his drink and looked at her.
"For earlier, at the restaurant…" she waited for him to say something, when he didn't she carried on, "for saying that I hadn't met you before…"
Gaara nodded, "you don't need to apologise, I guessed that you didn't want either Naruto or Ino to find out how we met," his eyes drifting towards her lips and back to her eyes.
Sakura blushed and chuckled awkwardly, "and I'm sorry for how I had acted when we had met. I promise you; I don't normally do that…"
"What? Attack people with kisses and try and seduce them?" Gaara chuckled lightly.
Sakura cringed at his words, "I really am sorry, I had had too much to drink and I…" she couldn't think of any reason other than finding him attractive and wanting him to have acted that way, but she wasn't about to tell him that.
"It's okay, I'm only teasing," he smiled at her.
Ino returned with their drinks and Naruto made his way back to the table. For the remainder of the night, the group laughed and drank and every now and then, they would end up on the dance floor.
By midnight, they had all had a few too much to drink, they decided to call it a night.
"This was fun, you know," Naruto grinned at the group, "I'm glad we did this," he swayed slightly.
"Yes it was," Gaara steadied him, "thank you for forcing me out."
"Anytime bestie," Naruto yawned, "but I am tired and ready for bed."
Sakura moved towards them and grabbed Naruto, placing an arm around him, "come on, let's get you home," she smiled at him.
Gaara hailed down a taxi, and helped Sakura get Naruto and Ino into the car.
"Thank you," Sakura turned to him and smiled, she wanted to reach over and hug him, but stopped herself, she wasn't sure whether he was a hugger or not. Instead, she held out her hand.
Gaara shook her hand, holding onto it a little longer than needed, "you're welcome, and it was nice getting to know you," he smiled at her.
"Back at you," she winked at him, she was surprised to feel callouses on his palm, but she enjoyed the feel of his hand on hers, her thoughts turning to his hands all over her.
The taxi driver honked his horn, making Sakura jump slightly, she reluctantly pulled her hand out of his, "well, this is goodbye."
"Goodbye Sakura, take care." He watched as she got into the car and shut the door for her. As the car pulled away, he waved at her and hailed a taxi for himself.
