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Sarada was buzzing with excitement for the next two weeks off. A break was well overdue; she had been dealing with so much underlying drama that she was definitely looking forward to spending time by herself and with her family. From the student council drama, to Boruto, to Chocho; she was exhausted.

Not a word from Chocho had been spoken, and even after the dance last night they were still on the outs since neither of them had taken the initiative to call and talk about what had happened. Sarada supposed she wouldn't, since her friend's undying love for Boruto would last until the grave while this grudge would last a lifetime. It was sad to see her ex best friend so hung up on a guy that didn't like her back.

The night came, and Sarada was doing pre-calculus homework on her bed, clad in an oversized sweater and fuzzy socks. If there was one thing she hated, it was being unprepared. To finish all of her homework on time, she had it set up every day where she could either chip away small pieces of homework each day and finish the night before, or alternatively spend more time in bigger chunks to finish quicker.

For now, she was doing as much as she could, with Coldplay playing softly from her speaker with her window cracked. It was colder now, but she still loved the breeze. Fresh air and music helped her concentrate.

Their doorbell rang, but she paid no mind.

"Sarada!" Sakura called a few moments later from downstairs.

"Yeah?" She responded. What was the sequence for the unit circle again?

"There's something at the door for you." She said. Sarada raised a brow, but quickly finished her thought process and jotted down the answer before heading downstairs.

Sakura had a plate in her hand while Sasuke had poked his head out from his office to eye it curiously. Sarada felt scrutinized as she took the plate from her mother. There were fresh tea cookies on it with a little paper note underneath the plastic wrap. She took it out and read it.

Thank you for being you.

-Boruto

"A secret admirer?" Sakura clapped her hands together. Sarada felt her heart pound inside her chest as butterflies stormed inside her stomach. Sasuke peered over her shoulder to read the note, then eyed his daughter, but he said nothing. He retreated back into his den.

"No, not quite." Sarada said lightly, a shy smile making its way to her lips.

"Those look great," Sakura took a cookie. "And they smell good too! I think they just came out of the oven."

True to her words, the cookies smelled delightful, and were still warm. Sarada took a bite, and her eyes widened.

"They're cardamom."

"Whoever made them for you knows you really well." Sakura smiled. "You should do something nice back."

Doing something nice back for Boruto? Wasn't that something only romantic partners did for each other, reciprocate gifts? Whatever the case, the thought made Sarada blush again but she didn't want her mom to see that. She quickly ducked her head, shoving the note into her pocket, and headed to her father's office. She knocked lightly.

"Come in."

The door opened effortlessly. She smiled.

"Do you want a cookie?"

"A cookie that Boruto made?" Sasuke's eyes were as cold and emotionless as usual. Sarada pursed her lips. She'd be damned if her own father intimidated her...even though he did.

"Dad."

His composed and calculated look shifted into something more sympathetic. He slowly dropped one hand to the desk and beckoned her forward.

"I suppose Hinata made them anyway." He said indifferently as he took a cookie, and Sarada giggled. Still with no expression, he looked at his daughter expectantly. "Well? You can't eat cookies like these without some tea."

"You try to act so tough."

Sasuke flicked his gaze to her. "I am tough."

Sarada rolled her eyes lightly. "Yeah, okay. What kind of tea?"

"Grey."

"Alright. Then I'm going back to homework!"

She left the plate on his desk to head towards the kitchen, and Sasuke ate his cookie slowly. Hm. If the mini idiot did make them then he was a good baker, that's for sure. But he would never say that out loud. Quite curious, though...when did his daughter start fraternizing with the Uzumaki? He thought they hated each other. Oh well. Semantics. Back to work.

After having made her father's tea and once back in her room, Sarada took the note back out of her pocket and reread it a thousand times. The butterflies were coming again, and she couldn't help but gush. Boruto really took the time to do this for her...wow. He was such a soft romantic type when he wasn't around all his friends, and just the mere thought of him thinking to do something nice like this made her swoon. Her hands were shaking with excitement.

Putting the whole situation together; Boruto decided he wanted to do something nice for her, picked to bake cookies, then the process of looking up recipes, actually baking the cookies, writing a note, and delivering them, made Sarada genuinely blush. The entire sentiment was so meaningful; right down to the fact that she had never been a huge fan of super sweet cookies, and he was aware of that and made her something she would like. What a paradoxical person. He was still so frustratingly intriguing. Sarada almost couldn't believe Boruto Uzumaki made cookies for someone like her!

Debating whether to text him a thank you or do something nice back like her mother said, Sarada chose neither and threw on a pair of sneakers and a scarf. She didn't want her parents to know she was going to see Boruto, so snuck out her window and hopped onto the side garage roof right outside her window with ease. The squishy wet grass broke her fall, and she avoided any cameras pointed to the back patio. This always made it simple for her to climb up or down without any footage being caught. Having it right outside her window, too, made it nice during the summer so she could lay out on the roof and star gaze.

Sarada made good time before it got pitch black. Now that she was here, her adrenaline wore off and she wasn't quite sure what to do. All she felt was nerves. Should she knock? Throw rocks at his window? Call him? She didn't think this far ahead; her heart moved her feet on its own accord. She was blushing immensely and couldn't get it to calm down. Thinking she was about to see Boruto in only a few moments...ugh the nerves were killing her, she hated it!

Supposing the most straightforward way would be to knock before she talked herself out of it, so she did just that.

"I got it!" She heard Himawari squeak from the other side. The younger Uzumaki opened the door and gasped. "Sarada, it's been such a long time!"

"Y-Yeah, it's good to see you again," She said shyly. She couldn't stop fiddling with her fingers. "U-Um, is Boruto here?"

Himawari blinked, not even bothering to hide her surprise, and before she could speak Boruto came down the stairs, wearing the t-shirt he had given Sarada to sleep in that one night so long ago at Mitsuki's house, gray sweatpants, and slip on sliders. Sarada was so used to only seeing Boruto primarily dressed up in his uniform that this down-casual attire looked cute. Like...so extremely cute she was bursting from the insides, relishing in the fact that she was getting to see this look on him when so many other people hadn't before.

"Yeah, I'm right here." He said, seemingly disinterested. "Hima, if mom asks just tell her I'll be back."

Himawari's only response was a devious cackle, but said nothing else as she closed the door. Boruto seemed put off, avoiding eye contact, and the pounding in Sarada's heart was suddenly stemming from the wonder if he was annoyed she had shown up. Though, once his sister closed the door, she realized it was an act as his shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Hey." He said nervously, his hot breath coming out in a puff of smoke. Sarada hadn't realized how cold it was outside. Her adrenaline-filled body was covered up by the shivers from being cold.

"U-Um, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, b-but I just came to say thank you." She said, trying to keep her tone as even as possible. She was so extremely flustered. "That was...very thoughtful of you."

Boruto didn't say anything at first, his soft gaze looking across all her features. He then scratched the back of his head, chuckling.

"Hima helped me bake them. So don't give me all the credit."

Sarada smiled. "But it was still your idea."

He was looking everywhere but her, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. It was actually kind of cute how flustered and shy he was when there was no one else around. It was definitely a side Sarada had never really seen before; he genuinely seemed earnest and actually like a sweet guy, he just put up a front at school to seem like the bad boy.

"Yeah, I guess." Boruto said humbly. "In that case, you're welcome!"

Sarada almost laughed. He was so awkward when it was just him alone, it was endearing. They were comfortable around each other, but now, it seemed something had shifted. They both were nervous and avoiding eye contact. Sarada knew how she felt about Boruto, but did he even feel the same?

A thought came to mind. All these emotions and butterflies were overriding her logic. She was being too easy. He brought her cookies because he was thanking her, that didn't mean he liked her. The adrenaline was being mistaken for infatuation. Sarada was letting her feelings get too out of hand. She sighed. This internal battle fighting against herself was getting old and annoying. For once, she didn't want to overthink everything and just be.

Neither of them knew what to say, and Sarada shivered. The cold was really getting to her, and Boruto frowned.

"Here, come in, it's cold out here."

"No, no, it's fine! I'm okay, I just came to say thank you, I didn't want to interrupt." Sarada panicked, shaking her hands.

Boruto gave her a look. "You're going to walk right back home then?"

"Uhh…" Sarada was at a loss for words. He shook his head disapprovingly.

"You're such a pain in the ass." He said again, but this time was lighthearted and fond. "Come on."

Sarada stumbled after him into the doorway, and Boruto double checked to make sure his parents weren't around before heading up the stairs. From the kitchen to the left, Himawari saw them sneaking up the steps and gave them a devilish grin. Boruto rolled his eyes as his sister snickered.

Sarada smiled wistfully. She almost wished she had a sibling to have as a best friend, but at the same time she liked being an only child. She got her own space, her own things, and even though it got lonely with her parents' frequent travel, she really didn't mind it. But, maybe a little sister would've been fun to have.

Surprisingly, Boruto's room was very neat. It wasn't her first time inside his house, but it was inside his room. The bed was made immaculately, shelves were full of books, gadgets, what looked like toy car parts, and drawings, and a tv on a table positioned at the end of the bed. His Xbox game was paused with the avatar hovering mid-air. Music was playing softly from a mini speaker on his nightstand, pictures of him and his family were hung up on the walls. His room had a nice feeling to it.

"Here." He handed her a hoodie from his closet. "You can wear that until you warm up, then I can walk you home. Do you want some tea?"

"Sure." Sarada was rather impressed with his hospitality. Even to this day and as much time as they've spent together, never in a million years would she believe someone if they told her school-Boruto and alone-Boruto were the same person.

"Chamomile?"

"If you have it, please."

"Sugar?"

"No thank you."

He left without another word shutting the door behind him, and she was amazed and suspicious at the same time. Cardamom tea cookies were so obscure, how would he have known she even liked those? Maybe she'd told him one time, maybe he asked someone. Either way, it was nice to know someone paid attention.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and Sarada glanced at it once she'd put on the hoodie. It was Chocho, asking what he was doing tonight and that she had some "free time". Sarada raised an eyebrow. Were they still a thing, even after yesterday?

It almost made her stomach churn with a feeling she didn't like, but she repressed it. Sarada and Boruto were just friends, so she had no business in what he did or who he hung out with. But...it almost made her mad that Chocho hadn't given up already. Usually she was smarter than this not to hold on. It was obvious Boruto didn't like her back, so she should get over it. She was being ridiculous.

A few minutes later, Boruto came back with two cups of tea, and handed one to Sarada. She thanked him and blew on it gently. Boruto set his tea on the nightstand and checked his phone, his brows immediately furrowing. Sarada tried to act like she wasn't paying attention to his reaction, but she was so curious how he was going to reply, so hid her face deep in the teacup. He swiped open his phone and responded, then once the message was sent he placed it face down on the nightstand, afterwards looking at her. It didn't make the jealousy in Sarada's stomach feel any better. She was here right in front of him, yet texting Chocho.

"How is it?" He asked.

"Still too hot."

Boruto snorted. "I always make the water too hot, Hima tells me that every time."

"I think it brings out the flavor of the leaves."

"Yeah, but there's always the chances of them burning, then it just tastes gross." Boruto dared to take a sip of his tea, but then recoiled once it touched his tongue. "Hot!"

Sarada giggled. He pouted and scooted to the wall next to her, crossing his ankles. Sarada was still settled into the edge of the bed, watching the tea slosh back and forth up the sides of the cup.

Instead of it being awkwardly silent like on the porch, this silence was comfortable. She was watching the steam rise up from the cup while Boruto was staring at his ceiling.

"How did you know I liked cardamom?" She turned to him.

He seemed hesitant to answer. "I asked Chocho."

And, oh. That made sense. But for him to ask Chocho out of the blue about something like that would make her positively suspicious about them being together, no doubt. Chocho was that type, and especially now that her and Sarada didn't hang out anymore, she hoped it didn't cause any more bad blood between them. There was already a big enough silent war going on.

"How are you two doing, by the way?" Sarada figured she might as well ask, since the jealousy inside her chest was insatiable. Sometimes it was good to feed the bad wolf too, just out of sheer egotistical purposes. Boruto sighed.

"We're not at all"

"How come?"

He shrugged. "I mean, I don't know how much you heard last night, but she's just not my type and I've told her that. It's like...when you're drunk, anyone is attractive, anyone can make out with you. So I thought I'd be nice and give it a try but honestly over time I just wasn't interested at all."

"In her?"

"Or a relationship, I guess." Boruto said. "I'm not gonna put a bunch of effort into someone I don't even want to be with."

"But everyone wants to be with you, you have tons of options." Sarada pointed out. Her jealousy was gushing uncontrollably. She hated the words coming from her mouth, but she couldn't stop herself. "You could walk down the hall, ask any girl out, guaranteed she'd say yes."

Boruto shrugged. "I'm not really about it right now. It's too much work."

"What is?"

"Girls." He smiled. Sarada mirrored his expression.

"Because you have a face that breaks hearts."

"Nope, it's all about what you say." Boruto stated. "Say all the right things, kiss them once or twice, spend time with them, buy them cute things, then boom, they're hooked."

Sarada gave him a slightly irritated look. "Sounds like a hidden talent of yours."

Boruto picked up on her agitation and laughed it off. "Chillll, I'm just kidding. But anyway, let's not talk about that anymore." He bounced to the edge of the bed to grab his tea. "My birthday is this week."

To say Sarada was disappointed she didn't get more out of him would be a stretch. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that she was over here liking him a million times more than he liked her, and that he wasn't even looking for a relationship. After what he said, he saw it all as a game. She would gladly switch topics to get rid of the ugly jealousy taking over her whole body right now.

"What day?"

"The twenty-eighth." He said. "so next Tuesday."

"Wow." She said aloud. "My birthday isn't until July."

"What day?"

"The eighth."

Boruto sucked on his teeth. "Damn. You can't drive for a long time."

"Don't remind me." Sarada pouted. "Chocho was driving me everywhere, but if she left me I was stranded."

"Yeah, I remember her talking about that." Boruto said casually. Sarada's look urged him to delve into detail. He seemed hesitant. "When we went out for ice cream she just said stuff. But that was a few months ago. It doesn't matter now, just move on."

"But I want to know." Sarada frowned.

"It's not anything good." Boruto leaned back. "So I don't want to make you sad."

Sarada slumped over. "She was my best friend and she talks negatively about me."

Boruto took a sip of his tea. "Hey, who cares? People are gonna say bad things about you no matter what you do. Seriously, just do you. Don't be so caught up in what other people say. Everyone is just fake anyway."

It almost struck a chord with Sarada. But for the king of reputations and fake personas telling her to not care about what other people thought was the absolute most contradictory statement of her entire year.

"So then why do you care so much?"

Boruto flinched as if she'd slapped him. Sarada back reeled, fully taking in what she had said. Oh god. She literally had no filter. All these negative feelings festering inside of her were making her spew a fountain of vernacular poison. Dear lord she needed an antidote ASAP.

"You know…that's a good question." He laughed halfheartedly. "I don't really know."

Sarada blinked. "If you can't live up to your own advice then try not to give it."

Boruto snorted, but still appeared amused. "You really don't think before you speak."

Sarada smiled sheepishly. "I know. Sorry I just make everything awkward."

Boruto leaned closer to her face, his nose scrunched. "I like it. You're just honest."

She hid her blush.

Their remaining tea got cold, but their hearts were warm. The conversation tonight had veered a little more on the awkward side, but Sarada still felt comfortable around him. If he could handle her projection with such ease, maybe she shouldn't be so nervous to be herself around him after all. The fact that she got the chance to see different sides of him, too, was an honor. He really was very sweet and caring.

Despite what had happened last week, she couldn't stay mad at him. It was a mistake of crossing boundaries, and he'd apologized for it. She wasn't going to hold it against him.

"You warm yet?" He asked, eyeing her in his large hoodie. She subconsciously snuggled into it.

"Yeah, thank you. I should head home now."

"'Kay, let me walk you."

Boruto checked the hallways to make sure they were clear before beckoning her to follow. They tiptoed down the stairs where Himawari was still there, and she gave them a grin. Boruto gave her a cutting motion at his throat, and they slid through the front door with ease.

It was even more chilly now that the sun had set. Sarada's glasses immediately fogged up and she scowled, making Boruto burst into laughter. She flushed and tore her glasses off her face.

"Do they always do that?" He asked.

"Only when the temperature changes really fast." She squinted as she cleaned them. It irked her, to be honest. She was blind no matter what she did. It was all her dad's fault.

"That's funny." He said, putting his hands behind his head. He was only in a T-shirt and didn't even seem the slightest bit cold. She looked at him curiously.

"Boruto."

"Hm?" He turned to her.

"You're actually a nice person." She said. "I don't see why you're pretending to be someone else at school when the person with me right now is just fine."

For the second time that day, Boruto was taken aback. His expression quickly turned solemn. Sarada stopped walking, her breath swirling in small puffs around her. Boruto paused a few paces in front of her and looked to the sky.

"I can't have people thinking I'm soft." He narrowed his eyes. "Being soft is what gets you hurt. My dad taught me that better than anyone."

Sarada knew better than to pry, for he had already spilled enough back then at the Fall Festival, so she kept walking in silence. Boruto joined her a few beats later. The cold was beginning to creep up her spine once more, so she burrowed deeper into the hoodie. Luckily, her house was just around the corner, so they weren't far away.

Boruto stepped on to her porch. She looked at him expectantly.

"Will you be okay walking back?" She asked. Boruto smiled.

"I'll be just fine! It's hardly even cold."

"You say that every time!" Sarada went to take off the hoodie, but Boruto grabbed her hands and held them down.

"No, you keep it." He grinned at her. "You need it more than I do." He let go and jumped down the small steps, waving. "See ya tomorrow!"

"Bye." She waved with half the sleeve over her hand, and let out a long sigh. He wanted to see her tomorrow? Wow. And the hoodie smelled like Boruto. She wasn't going to admit how much she liked it. Her heart was still pounding.

Slowly opening the front door, she went to tiptoe up the stairs but bumped into her uncle. She grunted and the sudden contact but then gasped at the realization.

"Sarada, glad you're back safely." Itachi said sweetly with a smile. Sarada's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"You didn't see me!" She said in a hushed voice, then scurried up the steps.

Itachi only laughed.

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