Chapter 5
The strong smell of coffee filled her nostrils bringing back memories of a time long gone.
"Smells like an European airport, right?" Temari sighed as she scooped the soup into bowls and put them on the table. Hinata stood at the door frame unused to the layout of this apartment slowly fidgeting with her stick.
"I'll help you." His voice spooked her from behind as he took the arm without the stick cautious to not get hit.
"Smells like home." She whispered quietly. Smelt like the Hyuga Manor, its corporation, the Uchiha corporation, his home too.
"Mm, yea Gaara uses it to cover the smell of…"
"Temari." His voice dropped like a hammer that sent a shiver through her
"Whatever." She chuckled before setting the bowls before them and scarfing her bowl quickly. Gaara pushed his aside, still munching the cookies he'd been given. It was rude to not eat when offered but it was becoming quite the impossible venture.
Taking in a deep breath, Hinata's hands hovered cautiously over the counter till it grazed the soup. Feeling around she realized the utensils were not beside the bowl, had to be inside then.
She slowly tip-toed her fingers on the side of the bowl till she met its rim, then ran around it till in contact with the cool metal of what she assumed was a spoon. After a few more moments of examining the temperature and viscosity of the soup she took her first bite, coughing slightly before setting the spoon down.
"That bad huh?" Temari laughed as she took the bowl away.
"No, no, it was much hotter than I had anticipated. The temperature on the outside seemed less hot." She mumbled
He had watched her every move from the corner of his eyes and was far impressed. A knock on the door alerted all three when Temari jumped,
"Oh I completely forgot. The lazy ass is waiting for me." She rushed up, scurrying about
"How do you forget the reason you visited?" Gaara murmured lowly with a roll of the eyes. Hinata, having heard it giggled quietly as well. Shocked he looked at her, he'd be getting rude eyes, shouts or a hit on the head from Sakura by now.
"Bye, nicetomeetyou!" Temari rumbled before slamming the door, the room quiet again.
"Here," he opened her hand, placing a cookie in it. "You're a bad liar." Before dumping the appalling concoction into the sink. Stunned, she looked at the cookie, met again with darkness before laughing quietly to herself.
"It's lemon poppy seed. Not much color to it." He explained, figuring out her expressions
"How did you?" A bewildered look grazed her features
"I'm a teacher. My students don't ask for help either." She laughed this time and for some odd reason he wanted her to laugh again.
Trailing off she spoke, "You're so much different than I thought."
"Huh?"
"The other time, you were a bit...meaner sounding?"
Silence reigned as a small smile etched on his lips.
"Ano, I mean, sorry. That was rude." She bowed in apology
"Perhaps," he chuckled lightly "but not incorrect. It was just bad timing. I apologize." He walked away to put the dishes away and Temari's concoction in the bin.
"Something else on your mind?" He asked quietly, soap running down his hands
"Mm...I was just wondering, what you looked like…" she blushed
"Hmm, not as much a catch as your fiancé I would think."
"Sasuke-kun is very handsome." She sighed admittedly
"So you weren't born blind." He inferred, turning back to the dishes quietly. He really was something else she concluded.
.~.~.~
A stranger rummaging through her photo albums had not been something she had seen coming when she had gone over. Yet, here they were, him looking through for Kushina Uzamaki.
"And who is this woman?"he asked quietly by her side on the floor
"It's Sasuke-kun's best friend's mum." she smiled quietly,
"And why again am I searching for her?" his voice had a hint of irritation to it.
"I just want to know if you have the same hair color."
"Blood red." he sighed, closing the album. "My hair is blood red. This woman's is a darker shade."
"I see. Did you see anyone in here that you look like?" she curiously pondered, turning her body to face him. A snort escaped his lips before he could help it. "If they looked anything like me, they wouldn't be in here."
"What do you mean?"
The cuckoo clock popped out in alertness, nine pm. A loud ring went off in her pocket and his eyes bugged out in laughter at her Nokia 3310.
"Hello."
"Hina, how are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No, you have to work."
"You're being quite curt," he prodded quietly
"Can I call you back, please?"
"Sure." was the quiet response before he hung up.
Sighing quietly she proppep her knees up, elbows resting on them and phone in her lap.
"We could continue this another time." Gaara shuffled awkwardly, coughing the laughter fit away.
"No, please. I haven't met anyone new in a year. I actually don't know how to create an image blind." a small smile appeared on her lip as she turned to him. "If you don't mind, that is."
"Not at all," he whispered, watching the crinkles soften andher smile widen because of him.