A/N: Hellooo everyone! (: I'd like to first and foremost apologize for the crazy update schedule. I have been called back into work and it has been very stressful. Though, with that said, I will do my best from now on to update at least once every other week.

Also I'd like to thank all of you for reading / reviewing! Every time I get an email saying one of you has added this story to your favorites, or are following it, it really does mean the most to me that people are enjoying this story! Honestly I tear up a little bit, you guys all mean the most to me and I appreciate your feedback and support so much. I want to give a personal shoutout to chica-flick, saltyapples25, kyuubito, mano.o.o.o on, Uchiha Sarada1, anon SG, and SnakesSolidButt for always reviewing, you guys literally make my day! Thank you so so so much! -lots of hearts-

Onto the chapter!

Once Boruto got home and threatened Himawari that if she even let out a peep that a girl was in his room, he would flush all her art supplies down the toilet. She didn't take him seriously at all and mocked him instead. Boruto couldn't help but roll his eyes and tease her back about Inojin. Eventually, it became a full blown argument about who would cave first and get in a serious relationship, and the second Naruto walked through the front door, the two went dead silent and sat at the table pretending nothing had happened. Naruto raised a brow.

"What's going on?" He set his briefcase on the table.

"Hima's just watching those annoying Kardashian videos again." Boruto said, even though there was no phone in sight, which Naruto noticed, but before he could talk Boruto interrupted. "I'm going to my room!"

"Your mother made dinner." Naruto scowled as Boruto walked past him dismissively.

"Already had some." He walked up the stairs without another word. Naruto frowned and looked to his daughter, who avoided eye contact at all costs.

"Himawari–?"

"Ohh look, I have homework! Sorry dad, I already ate too." She quickly scurried past him and he sighed. His children baffled him.

Boruto was lying on his bed when his phone buzzed again. He reached over the two discarded teacups and flipped it over and reread through the conversation with Chocho. She pissed him off; especially since Sarada popping by unexpectedly had lifted his mood exponentially, and then Chocho just had to go and be all nosy and ruin it again.

Chocho
Hey cutie if you're not busy I want to see you! I have some free time ;)

To which he responded, I'm hanging with Shikadai. Shikadai, Sarada, they both started with the letter S. So it was practically the same thing.

Chocho
Liar my parents just got back from their house and said Shikadai was there! You're with Sarada aren't you

There had been a gap from when he'd responded.

No

Chocho
Yes you are

Read 8:31 PM

And now, she had double texted him just barely.

Chocho
Can we talk?

About what he responded.

The response was almost immediate.

Chocho
I feel like you're avoiding me

I'm not

Chocho
Then why are you lying to me

I'm not

Chocho
Can I come over?

My dad just got home

Chocho
Please I'll sneak through the back door like last time

I really need you to stop. I'm just not interested

Chocho
Why?

I'm just not

Chocho
It's cause of Sarada isn't it

No

Chocho
Then what's wrong with me

Nothing I promise

Chocho
Then why don't you like me?

Boruto was getting irritated. I just don't, he replied.

Chocho
Can we talk in person?

What's there to talk about

Chocho
Idk just what's been going on lately

Nothing has changed I'm still the same

Chocho
No you're not I know there's something up. You wouldn't have pushed me away if there wasn't another girl whether its Sarada or not. If I need to change tell me what and I'll do it because I really like you Boruto and I want to be with you. I don't want things to end

It's not you I just don't want a relationship. I can't give you what you want and I told you that

Chocho
Because of another girl

Read 9:34 PM

Boruto externally groaned. Point blank period he just wasn't interested in Chocho anymore, but girls just had to be so dramatically obnoxious about everything. Always jumping to conclusions and putting words into his mouth. Like she was creating something out of nothing! If there was one girl that existed that didn't cause drama, Boruto would marry them.

His phone dinged.

Chocho
What other girl gives head as good as me

He started typing out plenty I can name 5 but then deleted it and left her on read again. He was done with this pointless, petty argument. Chocho was going to believe what she wanted no matter what he said. He'd never even mentioned Sarada's name and now Chocho was fixated on her being the reason he wasn't interested anymore. This was so annoying. Sarada wasn't even the reason...okay, well, the whole reason. She may have had a part in it, but really Boruto just realized what he did and didn't want. And everything Chocho entails was definitely put in the didn't want category.

A couple minutes later, his eyes widened at the large essay he had just received.

Chocho
Boruto just know you're making a HUGE mistake letting me go. You'll never find another girl who was as down for you as me and I never told you what to do or who to hang out with and let you spend time with your stupid friends and play your stupid video games even when I was over at your house. Your sister loved me your mom loved me and even your dad loved me so good luck finding someone your family gets along with! Most girls are fake and you'll never find someone as real as me

Boruto just stared at the massive message.

Chocho
I can't believe you're so rude leaving me on read I'm pouring my heart out to you and you don't even say anything. Youre a dick just like every other guy. You don't deserve me you've done nothing to earn me I'll find someone so much better and cuter and nicer than you

Ok lol

God, how irritating. He was so glad he didn't have to deal with her until after the break. His phone continued to blow up, but he muted her notifications and went back to his Xbox game. This would all blow over by tomorrow.

Honestly thinking back to it, Sarada seemed to be the only exception to not being involved in any drama. Which, Boruto actually had a great time with her tonight. She somehow always knew what to say to get under his skin. She could be so clumsy with her words but somehow they always managed to make an efficient point.

Boruto smiled. Sarada was real and kept things interesting. She was intelligent, her glasses made her look like a hot librarian, and Boruto actually didn't mind her long hair now. Still, he preferred her short hair, but in all honesty, he thought she looked cute no matter what.

Wait.

Was he starting to like her?

Oh no freaking way, Boruto could not catch feelings for someone he hadn't even banged yet. Besides, their relationship had already been so up and down this year. There was no telling where their friendship would be at even as close as a month's time. Sarada's feelings weren't consistent enough for Boruto's liking...but then again, that's what made her interesting. Each and every day was a new page in their chapter. She called him on his bullshit and didn't let things slide like a lot of other girls. She was inconsistent, but genuinely thorough.

Sure, he'd had a tiny crush on her since they were little due to their families practically forcing them together every holiday, but never did anything about it. Uzumaki's and Uchiha's were just too different. And Sasuke scared the living hell out of him.

Honestly, Boruto just didn't know what he wanted right now. He wanted a girl-free life. He'd experienced too much pain and heartbreak to even want to start over with someone again.

For now, Sarada was nice to hang out with, she was easy on the eyes, so innocent it was hilarious to flirt with her, and she made him laugh. She also pushed him to be better, and even though she sometimes irritated the shit out of him and had the tendency to criticize every little flaw of his, she still had a special place in his heart. She was so tender and kind hearted, unlike him. There wasn't a time he'd messed up that she hadn't given him another chance. She believed in him more than he believed in himself, and that was more reassuring than anything to know at least someone saw the good within all his bad.

Her undying passion mixed with her kindness is what drew Boruto to her. But of course, she'd only ever really tolerated him. Up until now, at least, it seemed as if she finally saw him as an official acquaintance. Yeah, he'd date her in a heartbeat. But even still, Boruto wasn't going to make the jump.

Girls were too complicated, and right now he would only break their hearts trying to figure them out.

Later around one in the morning, Boruto was sneaking down into the kitchen for the leftovers because he had, in fact, not had anything to eat. Honestly, he just lied to Naruto because he didn't want to deal with him. But now that his stomach had woken him up growling for food, he'd regretted that decision and grumbled all the way down to the kitchen.

Boruto just about screamed when a head popped up from the already open fridge, and Himawari had a piece of celery sticking out of her mouth.

They pointed at each other accusatory.

"Why are you up?!" They said simultaneously in a hushed whisper.

"I didn't eat to avoid dad!" Boruto snipped.

"Well me too!" Himawari shot back. "You threw me under the bus!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

They glared at each other, then the humor of the situation made them both burst into uncontrollable giggles.

Once they were seated at the table with their food, Himawari looked at him.

"So real talk, you and Sarada?"

Boruto huffed and took a spoonful of cereal. "What about us?"

Between crunches of celery and peanut butter, Himawari asked, "What happened to you and Chocho?"

"She's crazy."

"I thought you liked her though? You brought her over a lot."

"That's–...you know Hima, I'll tell you when you're older." He said grimly. She pouted.

"I'm almost fourteen!"

"Too young." He said, taking a bite of his food. She leaned forward.

"Okay, so then Sarada? Do you like her?"

"I do." He said. "But I'm not gonna do anything about it."

"Why not?"

He shook his head. "Not the right timing."

"Did she like the cookies?"

"Yeah, she said she loved them."

Himawari's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm so glad! I know how hard you worked on them."

Boruto smiled. "Yeah. That's why she came over – to say thank you."

"I like Sarada, a lot better than Chocho." Himawari said. "She fits you better. Chocho always seemed too stuck up for you."

Boruto laughed. "You're funny. I'm not dating either of them so it doesn't really matter who fits me better."

"But why?" Himawari asked. "If you like Sarada and think she fits, why don't you ask her out?"

"Cause it's much more complicated than that." Boruto said softly. "I can't just...date Sarada out of nowhere. People wouldn't understand."

"Well is that why you were with Chocho, cause that's who people expected you to be with?"

Boruto felt an arrow to the chest. When his little sister said it that way...it made the situation sound much worse. He really had used Chocho for his own personal gain.

"Yeah...I guess."

"That's kinda dumb." Himawari said. "If you don't like Chocho don't be with her. If you like Sarada then be with her."

Boruto's lip curled upward. "I'm not even sixteen yet. I don't know what I like."

"You like Sarada!" Himawari said with a smile. "I can tell by how you are with her."

Boruto refused to meet her gaze. His sister truly did have a point. Sarada was different, and he did like her. He always had. A lot, quite frankly. But stubbornness was one of his negative traits, and in this case was the main factor in why he wasn't pursuing her. Admitting to himself that for once, a girl didn't automatically swoon at his presence, and wasn't intimidated by his sheer reputation alone, so he actually had to make an effort? That, and he didn't want to feel like he was going to lose a piece of his heart in the end from investing too much time and energy into someone who didn't reciprocate the feeling. Though, Sarada seemed completely different than the other girls that had broken his heart.

So who knew. Maybe Boruto had changed his mind.

"Wh-Whatever. If you eat anymore this late at night you'll get fatter than you are!"

Boruto took his plate and set it in the dishwasher, and it wasn't until he was walking upstairs that Himawari understood what he'd just said. She gasped loudly.

"Hey!"

XxX

Christmas Eve. Sarada, Itachi, and her parents had gone out for breakfast, went shopping, then Sarada spent the rest of the evening in the kitchen with her father cooking. They had the tradition that Sasuke cooked for Christmas Eve dinner, then Itachi made breakfast Christmas morning. It was Sarada's absolute favorite time of year, and Itachi made the best strawberry Belgian waffles ever so she was greatly looking forward to it. Good food and family.

"Dad," Sarada said, puzzled looking over the recipe, then comparing it to how many ingredients they had cooking. "Why are we making so much? It's just us four."

"The Uzumaki's are coming over for dinner, as they do every year." He said, eyeing her suspiciously. "So if you care about what you look like, I would go get ready now. They'll be here in half an hour."

What?!

The metal bowl in Sarada's hands slipped and fell to the ground. It clattered loud and unattractively. No one told her and it had somehow slipped her mind that they had been having Christmas Eve dinner with the Uzumaki's since she came out of the womb. And what was even more embarrassing, is she had been wearing Boruto's hoodie all day! She would've been mortified if they showed up and she was dressed in their sons clothes with her hair all frazzled and glasses smudged. She had been too distracted thinking about Boruto that she literally forgot she was going to see him tonight.

Oh no, her panicking was too obvious. Sasuke was giving her that look; the one where he knew exactly why she was reacting that way and he was internally disapproving.

"O-Okay, I'll leave the rest to you then!" Sarada tore off her apron and threw it on the back of the couch, and Itachi chuckled to himself as he watched her scramble up the stairs.

What was she supposed to wear? She wanted to look nice, but not too over the top nice. This was the worst part about having a crush – feeling like she always had to look cute.

Eventually after she dug through her entire closet, she went with a black overall dress, a red jumper underneath, black tights, and half her hair tied back with a little red bow, and went and dug through her mother's makeup for some gloss, a little shimmery highlighter on her cheekbones, mascara, and she called it good. She didn't want to make it too obvious that she was trying to look good; more like put together and sophisticated like the Uchiha heiress she was.

Half an hour later, she heard ruckus downstairs, meaning the Uzumaki's were here. Her cheeks flushed and she stumbled around her room to tidy it up, and threw everything she didn't have time to clean in her closet. She double checked herself in the mirror, and waited until everyone was greeted and dispersed in the house before she made her appearance.

Himawari spotted Sarada at the top of the stairs and elbowed Boruto with a large grin, who was half-listening to his dad's and Sasuke's conversation but was distracted fiddling with something inside his pockets.

"Ow!" He snipped, but then saw where she was looking. Sarada was descending down the stairs gracefully, her hair cascading down to her waist, and Boruto couldn't help but stare. Wow. She looked amazing.

"Sarada, you look so pretty!" Himawari jumped up and hugged her, and Sarada smiled.

"Thanks! You look so cute, I love your dress!"

Himawari twirled. "Thanks! My dad brought it back in Italy."

Sasuke noticed Boruto staring. Itachi did too.

"Hi, Boruto." Sarada said softly. He smiled.

"H-Hey."

"Sarada, come help me set the table!" Sakura called.

"Okay!" She quickly went to the kitchen and greeted Hinata, who also complimented her, and they set the table and got everyone's drinks. Naruto, Itachi, and Sasuke opened a bottle of wine once they were all seated. Sasuke was seated at the head, with Sakura and Itachi on both sides of the table from him. Sarada was next to her uncle on her left with Boruto on her right. Naruto sat diagonally from them on the other head of the table, with Himawari and Hinata filling the last two places. Himawari smirked at the couple and Boruto kicked her under the table.

"I thank you and your family for coming here tonight, Naruto. It makes it much more enjoyable to have more company." Sasuke said. "It's been so long since we've all gotten together."

"No, thank you Sakura for inviting us again this year! If not, we probably would've gone out to Ichiraku's!" Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, so thank you!" Himawari exclaimed in relief, and everyone laughed.

"So we have our tradition on Christmas Eve where we go around and say what we're thankful for." Sakura said. "Sarada, do you want to start?"

All eyes were on her, and Sarada gulped. Boruto's gaze seemed to be burning through her right side.

"I'm really thankful for my family, for my uncle Itachi," She said, and Itachi smiled at her, "and the opportunity to always have what we need. My parents work so hard and I'm grateful for them."

"Aww, Sarada." Sakura said. "Okay, Boruto?"

He tensed up, and this time Sarada had her turn to shamelessly stare at him. "I'm thankful for my sister. And my friends." Seemling it appeared he was going to say something else, but ducked his head in resignation. Himawari went next.

"I'm grateful that I get to start high school next year!"

"Ohh, that's right." Naruto said. "Ninth grade!"

Himawari grinned and nodded. They went around the rest of the table, until they were all done taking turns. Sarada glanced at Boruto's hands, he was fidgeting badly, tapping his fingers on his bouncing knees. He noticed her looking at him.

"You okay?" She mouthed. He gave her an unconvincing smile.

They ate cheerfully, the adults chatting together, frequently talking with Himawari, occasionally Sarada, but hardly Boruto. He seemed uncharacteristically quiet, and he wouldn't stop moving restlessly, and it made Sarada curious if he wanted to leave. And here she had been so excited to see him.

When she was washing the dishes with Hinata, she excused herself to the bathroom. Instead of going to the one downstairs, she went upstairs. It was quiet and peaceful compared to downstairs, and it gave her a moment to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how much tonight was stressing her out.

Washing her hands, she fixed her hair afterward. The water was left running as she stared at herself in the mirror. She really did look pretty, so she wondered why Boruto hadn't said anything about it. There was a soft knock on the door frame.

"Sarada?" She heard Boruto's voice, and, oh god. Her heart fluttered. Stay calm, stay cool. The Uchiha indifference. Composed. Collected.

She turned the water off and pushed the door open. Boruto looked relieved to have found her.

"Hey." She said softly. He avoided her eyes, but didn't seem to want to leave. That helped Sarada's thudding heartbeat calm.

"Can I uh, talk to you, for a minute?"

"Yeah, of course. Um," Sarada turned in a circle in an attempt to figure out where they should go before stumbling to her door. "Let's go in here."

Boruto trailed in behind her, and Sarada thanked herself for tidying her room. The inside of her closet was a mess, but alas, it didn't matter at this point in time. Boruto didn't need to know that.

"What's up?" She said, sitting on her bed. Boruto was still by the door admiring Sarada's room. He'd been in here a couple times, granted, it was dark each time. Still, it suited her – very simple layout with pictures, succulents, and books all neatly organized on the shelves. He saw her shoulder bag setting neatly atop her desk and smiled. It was kind of fun to see the usual things in a different element. It made it feel more personal.

"Well," Boruto scratched his head, fumbling with his jacket pocket. "I, uh, hope it's not too much, but I got you something."

Sarada stared at him unbelieving. He went and sat next to her, his gaze glued to the door while his fingers were twiddling.

"Really?" She said airily. Boruto nodded.

"I just feel like...y'know, after everything you've done for me, like you deserve nice things." He finally looked at her. "And I hope this doesn't make things weird between us...I swear Himawari helped me pick it out, it wasn't all my decision–"

"Boruto!" Sarada laughed. He rambled when he was nervous, it was adorable. "It's okay, that's so thoughtful of you. The fact that you even thought to get me something is so nice, and then you went and had Himawari help you pick it out."

He scratched the back of his neck. "A-Anyway, if you don't like it, it's fine, I can always take it back. It's not a big deal." He shoved a velvet-clad box into her hand. Her heart pounded, he really did get her something.

Slowly, she opened the box to reveal a necklace with a teardrop ruby crystal in the middle. Her eyes widened.

"It's your birthstone." Boruto added. "I thought that was way too sappy but Himawari said girls liked the sentiment, so I just went with it. And red looks good on you."

"Boruto," She gasped, "it's beautiful! I love it so much." She took it from the box and held the delicate jewelry on the palm of her hand. The ruby glistened beautifully in the light; she almost couldn't believe he'd actually gotten this for her. "I feel bad, I didn't think to get you anything."

"It's okay, you didn't have to. I just wanted to do something nice for you." He said. Sarada looked from the necklace to Boruto, and he had the softest expression she'd ever seen on his face.

"Here," He took the necklace from her, and Sarada moved her hair to the side. As his fingertips grazed the back of her neck, shivers tingled up and down her spine. It made her feel some type of way. Once it was clasped his hands slowly dropped to the bed, and she turned to him.

"Thank you." She said, barely above a whisper, and he just smiled.

There was a warm, fond air between them. Neither of them really knew what to say. Sarada's cheeks flushed when Boruto's hand slid atop of hers. It felt so...different, in a good way. She's been over here worrying this entire time for no reason. To be doing all these nice things for her, he must've had some type of feelings for her, regardless if he said he was ready for a relationship or not. The reality made her heart skip through fields of flowers.

Sarada had never held hands with a boy, never kissed anyone, and never really had a crush before, so this was all new to her. It was scary, but since it was with Boruto, she was okay with it. For them to come from hating each other to this was surreal. She really liked Boruto a lot, but didn't know where it would lead after this. She didn't know what it meant to be in love with someone or to be in a relationship. She was only fifteen.

But, she supposed, there was no harm in trying to figure it out.

Music was playing softly on her speaker, which the melancholic sound of Coldplay seemed to ease her thudding heartbeat. This boy sitting in front of her was so enigmatic, full of so many secrets and emotions and things he didn't outwardly portray but felt more deeply than anyone she'd ever known. It was so thrilling being with him – he always had enough energy to fill up a room and stayed positive in any circumstance. Even though he could act like a complete idiot, Sarada liked all sides of him.

Boruto gripped her hand tightly, and Sarada wondered if this feeling was why people loved falling in love. It was so thrilling; addicting; it felt dangerous but like a safety net was waiting at the bottom. It felt like for once someone understood her better than she knew herself. It felt like she was alive.

Their bodies felt drawn closer together, the sparks between them flying, like two opposites of a magnet being pulled together. Boruto's lips parted to take in a quiet breath before his gaze flicked down. Sarada felt herself mirroring his expression, as their faces came closer and closer.

Sarada's throat burned as the butterflies in her stomach fluttered violently, feeling every vein pump throughout her body and her hands run cold. Boruto's grip still hadn't loosened. It made Sarada feel safe; secure.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, their lips already centimeters apart. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, Sarada wanted this. She smiled bigger than she ever had in her life.

"Yes." She said softly.

The gap closed, their lips met, and Sarada had never felt such bliss. Boruto's hand gently cupped behind her ear, and Sarada felt her entire body cover in shivers. What a feeling this was, it was incredible. Indescribable.

Their lips parted, but only after what felt like an eternity. Sarada was sure she was blushing, but didn't quite have the capacity to will it away in that moment. Such a special, intimate moment they just had. It was ingrained in Sarada's brain for the rest of her life. His touch, his look, his smell, his soft lips, his aura, everything.

She only caught herself with an ear splitting grin when Boruto mirrored it. They both laughed softly, then slowly it erupted into a chorus of giggles, his hand never leaving hers.

"Merry Christmas, Sarada." He said quietly, almost worried if he spoke too loud he'd destroy the peace, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Sarada fiddled her thumb with Boruto's; her eyes darting in every direction, then she finally landed on his blue irises.

"Merry Christmas, Boruto."

XxX