Leftover Bride
Chapter 2
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DESTINY'S CALLING...
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SSSHHHAAAAA!
That's the sound of fresh meat being laid over the grillers.
Sizzle...Sizzle...Sizzle…
That's the sound of meat undergoing the cooking process on heated grills, then the fat from the meat began to melt and the butter coating began to give off a wonderful aroma. After all that lengthy process, it's off the grill, soak it in secret sauce and it's straight into the mouth!
"Nyaaam! Umm! Umm! Good meat!"
Naruto helped himself to another piece of steaming hot meat from the grill with his chopsticks and dipped it into more of that secret sauce he came to love before it disappeared into his mouth.
There's nothing better than having good food after a long day, for the blonde that was.
"Yummy. Good meat. Good meat! I didn't know that this new shop could be so good! Thanks for bringing me to dinner, Sakura-chan!"
"NOT my pleasure…," Sakura eyed the opposite blonde boy who enjoyed himself more than she did,
"I thought it was supposed to be YOU who's treating me to barbeque, not the other way around!" she lightly slapped the table.
Yup, it should be the other way around. Remember?
"Well...someone needed someone's help apologising to someone she slapped right on the face...no?" said Naruto with his mouth full.
"HE. Was. Stark. Naked!"
Sakura accidentally hammered the table a little too loudly to gain weird stares from other customers; she shrunk away, embarrassed.
"Your friend was outrageous to show up bold and bare in front of me!"
Naruto waved his index finger,
"Not friend, it's client," he corrected her. Annoyingly.
"He's your client at work but a friend not at work!"
The pink haired female withheld her voice from yelling too loud in a restaurant filled with people. She knew the blonde well enough when he was trying to fool her with words.
"Uh...you got that right. Heheh."
Naruto continued to busy himself at the grill; coating more butter on each piece of meat over and over and flipped each of them over and over so that they did not overcook. It's getting frustrating to watch him being so enthusiastic about it when his pink haired friend was fussing about her own problems,
"Still you hit him. You should be glad he didn't sue you for it. You just don't know who he really is, Sakura-chan."
"You said that no one was home!"
"I didn't know he was home today. Nah, accidents happen all the time."
"This isn't funny, Naruto. And. How much are you going to eat? This isn't the all-you-can-eat barbecue, I need to save up for Yuno's university fees due next week!"
"Aww...I was planning to order squid," Naruto pouted like a child as he looked up from the menu, spinning a pencil with his fingers.
"No way. Squid is way too expensive—"
"Go ahead. It's no big deal."
Out of the very blue, a voice cut her short belonging to someone she expected the least. A male immediately showed up at their table before she realised; dressed in dark skinny jeans with a pink hoodie and matching pink cap!
He somehow acted cautious; peeking his surroundings before lowering the visor of his cap to shield most of his face and quickly took the seat next to the blonde.
At first Sakura couldn't recognise the male with his face covered like that until she spotted that black hair from his sideburns and that red patch on the left cheek; a little swollen though.
"Y-You..!?" she gasped.
The guy finally decided to lift his cap, revealing himself to be none other than the 'client' she met yesterday.
"Hn."
The dark haired male smirked teasingly at her. For some reason she found it annoying.
"I thought (crunch) you're (crunch) not coming(crunch)(crunch)," Naruto chewed on cucumbers as he spoke.
Seriously this blonde has no manners. He's literally eating up everything he sees.
And why on earth would that stupid blondie invite him? She cursed.
Sakura remained silent as she watched the two chatted between themselves on topics she wouldn't want to be interested in.
She noticed that the guy next to Naruto was rather smitten with him, smiling and chuckling at every word he says.
What's this guy's problem?
He's gay or something?
Sakura perked at the thought. Her blonde friend is actually gay?
Oh!
OOOOOOOOOOOOH!
That explains it!
No wonder Naruto was hesitating from the beginning.
The 'she' he likes was actually a 'he'?
They hid their secret love behind friendship?
"Sakura-chan? Are you okay? Your face is kinda red," Naruto asked while the raven only stared.
She couldn't plainly reveal her thoughts, could she and lied,
"Y-Yes. It's just...uh...getting a little stuffy here, eh?" pretending to fan herself.
Subsequently, she watched the raven male brought himself forward towards the table from his leaning position and said,
"Naruto. Why not introduce me to this pink haired chubby friend of yours."
Despite that pretty face of his, he shall be declared as the most disrespectful, most irritable human on earth from this moment on.
Moreover, he had the guts to wear a smirk on his face when he said it!
Oh, the slander!
Served him right for getting slapped right in the face first thing in the morning. Sakura was proud of her spontaneous action for once. If only she could do it one more time without any consequence.
Naruto almost burst out laughing but held it in when she threw him a deadly glare. How heartless for a childhood friend but he did try to make amendments,
"That's not a very nice thing to say to a lady, Sas—"
"You're beautiful."
Hah…?
Wait…
What...did he just say?
With fixated jet black eyes, he spoke words that the other two didn't expect. At all.
Sakura was speechlessly dumbfound during that moment.
She was confident that she heard him right but she had to check if anyone else was actually standing behind her when there was none at all.
Again, with a smirk on his perfectly shaped lips,
"You're beautiful, Sakura."
He pronounced her name definitely, there's no mistaking that he was actually referring to her.
Her name...how does he know?
She glanced over to her blonde friend to check, Naruto was as surprised as she was. He froze biting the tip of his chopsticks, forgetting that his precious meat was still on the grill.
As for Sakura, she even forgot how to breathe during those heart throbbing seconds of bewilderment. Her mind screamed in panic to the point her face grew hot; without thinking, she grabbed her belongings,
"W-Well, look at the time. Yuno must be alone and scared at home. I gotta go. Naruto, would you mind paying first, I forgot my purse. I-I'll see you back at the shop. Bye!"
Sakura left hastily, leaving the two men to sit side by side in temporary silence.
"Do you mind, Sasuke?" Naruto first spoke up, taking a sip of iced lemon tea.
"What?" after a short pause.
"Sakura-chan is a really, really precious childhood friend of mine. I appreciate it if you take your womanizing disease elsewhere."
He heard his raven friend sighed lightly before slumping into the chair with hands shoved inside the pocket of his jeans. Sasuke then turned to look at the serious blue eyed male,
"She's your girlfriend?" he asked.
"I told you, she's a precious childhood friend."
"You had a crush on her?"
"No," Naruto answered. "And how did you know her name!?"
Sasuke smirked,
"Sakura-chan, eh?" he bit on the nail of his thumb with new interest brewing in mind.
Naruto scratched his head roughly and groaned frustratedly before grabbing the raven next to him, looking at him straight into the eye,
"I'm seriously warning you, playboy. If you lay your hands on Sakura-ch—"
"What? It's not like she's your girlfriend and you're not in love with her or anything. So why are you making such a big fuss?"
Sasuke casually removed himself from the grip of his frowning friend then poked him on the forehead,
"If you frown so much, you'll get wrinkles soon enough," smilingly.
Naruto threw a light punch on the raven haired guy's arm. He couldn't possibly get angry at him but on the other hand, worrying seems to be more important.
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*Sunshine Cleaners*
JiNGgLE JiNgGLy JiNG JiNG!
Yuno peeked out from the kitchen by the sound of the doorbell during this evening hour.
No doubt it was his pink haired sister, she's back from wherever she wandered off to. Usually Yura and Yuna wouldn't be back this early.
After he was satisfied seeing his sister home, he went back to the cooking pot.
He heard his sister throw the van keys into the jar where they kept most of their whatever-keys before stomping into the kitchen to check up on him; like she always does.
And something he expects too.
"What are you making, Yuno?"
He knew she would ask.
"Porridge," he replied in the laziest manner.
Knowing him, he must have overslept from the afternoon nap and came to see stars by the time he woke up.
That's how he ended up in the kitchen searching for food if it wasn't for his noisy stomach. He was being too lazy to either get dressed and step out buying food or scroll through an indecisive long list of delivery choices on his phone.
Sakura couldn't help but worry even more of her brother's state of becoming a full fledged adult.
Just look at him, he's still in the same pyjamas for two days straight when he thinks there is no need to change.
He hasn't stepped out of the shop since Saturday!
"Gracious, what's this!?"
Yuno knew his sister would begin panicking the moment she lifted the pot lid to check the contents-in-progress.
"Sweet corn porridge," he replied monotonously.
"You can't just put the whole cob in it!"
To him, it's just the same, no?
Porridge. And. Corn.
Who cares if it's still on the cob, no?
"It's not?"
See.
When it comes down to cooking, his logic somehow...wouldn't be logical in the first place.
"Of course not, baby Yuno," she sighed and removed the cob out of the pot,
"First, you've got to remove the corn from the cob by cutting the cob in half. Then pluck them out from the side. See, it's easy."
Sakura patiently demonstrated and made sure Yuno copied her correctly. She had to sigh twice at heart for being overly worried. Among the triplets, she admits that she worries about him the most when it comes to surviving.
But to Yuno, it's a different story.
Cooking correctly wasn't as important.
Even if it's picking out corn, being nagged at and ending up cooking the perfect corn porridge with a few of her magic tricks, it's a moment of bliss.
A short bliss of togetherness.
To Yuno, it's a precious moment; With this pink haired female whom he treasured so much, every second ticks valuably.
To Yuno, she's his whole world; Everything he is, are gifts that she had given him.
"Here, try it," Sakura gave him a spoonful of porridge to taste. "What do you think? Enough salt?"
"Um. It's good," Yuno nodded.
To him, his sister's cooking is not only good but the best.
Looking at his smiling sister from this angle of height, he was blessed by the view of a natural beauty; it was another sense of bliss.
To Yuno, she's the most beautiful person; even when everyone would laugh at her and snicker for her SIZE and be clumsy at times.
To him, she's the most hard working sister to work all day long and would still make it in time to take him home from school, cook meals and tuck him to bed.
For her appearance, no one would ever stop by to watch closely; the true beauty she possessed.
Except for him.
Could he say that he's glad no one did?
If only, his sister could see him as a man…
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But for now.
Sharing a warm meal over television with this pink haired female was something more than he would ask for.
Television shows during Sunday evenings were plenty, the siblings took their time to sit around on the large floor cushion while blowing endlessly at their every spoonful of porridge.
Sometimes burning their tongues for paying too much attention on the screen.
"Ngah, this drama is boring...Where's the remote control?" Sakura tried searching under the pillows.
"I think I'm sitting on it, sis…"
"Gosh, don't your butt hurt sitting on it?" Sakura shook her head helplessly and began pressing any possible channel she could find.
Click.
'Good evening, this is the evening Konoha News—'
Click.
'Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice! These are—'
Click.
'Hit me baby one more ti—'
Click.
"Hmm...isn't there anything nice to watch today?"
Click. Click. Click.
"Sis," Yuno initiated.
"Yeah?"
Sakura replied without peeling her eyes off the television while she continued to abuse the remote control as she pleased. Desperately trying to find a suitable programme.
Click.
"I'm going on a trip this Wednesday…," he murmured.
Click. Click.
"Oh, this show. Argh, it's over already!?" the pink haired female doesn't seem to be paying much attention.
"Sorry, Yuno. You were saying about this Wednesday?"
"I'm participating in a competition representing the University for three days."
"Eh? I thought someone said he has stepped out of the limelight and let others shine for a while."
He did claim to retire from participating in any heart pounding, brain crushing intellectual battles and rather laze around doing nothing. It's too much of a hassle to suit up when he knows it's surely a win, he said.
But today?
"The prize is good,"
Yuno said as he finished up the last of his porridge and set the bowl aside then opened a bag of snacks to munch on.
Click.
Click.
"What's so good that got Mr Smarty out of bed to take the trouble?" Sakura chuckled to herself as she continued to switch channels,
"Ah, is there really nothing good to watch!?"
Click.
"The grand prize is a di—"
Click.
'And today's guest on the Young Entrepreneurs Show is Uchiha Sasuke! Yes, the COO of THE Uchiha Group!'
"WHAT THE HECK!?" Sakura burst out loud, startling her brother.
She recognised the guy in the television programme right away; he's none other than the male who lived in a luxurious penthouse that almost turned into a dump site, a pervert who appeared before her without a piece of garment and the one who called her chubby after interrupting her barbecue dinner just now!
Oh, she couldn't get his image off her head!
Look at him.
Just. Look. At. That. Fake innocent smile of his when he appeared on television.
Neatly dressed in a suit that assumably costs a fortune. He had his hair styled suavely.
But there's one thing that Sakura came to notice; was that his cheek was slightly pink. Makeup couldn't cover most of it.
"Ah..," she gasped a bit, recalling.
It's her deed alright.
She had slapped him so hard this morning that he fell to the floor. Obviously the effects lasted from that impact.
"Gosh...I...I didn't know he had an interview today…," she murmured under her breath.
She felt a little guilty as she bit the edge of her spoon while keeping her eyes focused on the television screen.
Curious, Yuno turned to the screen as well.
Black hair and charcoal eyes.
Just like him.
What's so special about that guy anyway, his heart snorted silently. But he couldn't fight the feeling that his sister's attention was drawn towards that stranger.
"You know him, sis?" he couldn't help but to ask.
She shook her head at first, denying.
"Nuh uh, not really. I didn't know it was him from the start."
"You met him before?" he raised a questioning brow.
"Yeah...sort of…," without peeling her eyes away, she answered.
Not noticing that Yuno was getting a little uneasy.
"When?"
"Just now before I came back. I went to the new barbecue shop with Naruto and he came," she began to explain.
"Actually I met him this morning, Naruto needed me to slot in for him to do the cleaning at this guy's place," Sakura confessed, again without tearing her eyes off the television.
Then suddenly turned to Yuno excitingly,
"Guess What Yuno, he lives in this darn big penthouse in the skies that you can't believe how big the TV screen was. It was like...ten times? Twenty times? Of ours!"
"Uh huh…," Yuno was uninterested.
Or perhaps...jealous?
Thum. Thum. Thum. Thum.
"Hey, people! I'm back!"
It's Yura and his loud cheerful voice coming from the stairs as he made his way up.
"Hey, sis. Hey, Yuno. Ohhhh. Is that porridge? I want some."
"Sorry, it's exclusively for two. Didn't expect you to be back so early," said Sakura, placing down her empty bowl on the floor beside her.
"You two always skip me out on the good stuff—Oh hey! That's Uchiha Sasuke!" Yura got excited and joined the rest of his siblings, sitting beside his sister.
"You seem to know him…," Sakura asked curiously.
"Not in person but his fame is currently rocketing. I mean he's already famous and becoming more famous. Especially among the ladies," Yura exclaimed excitedly,
"See, he's on the covers of magazines like Young Billionaire, Money Game, K-Forbes and many more!" He took each issue from his bag and flipped through the pages for the article,
"The thirty one year old billionaire is the second son of the Uchiha family, working alongside with his elder brother the current CEO of the Uchiha Group. Owns estates, super cars, luxe homes and yachts!" Yura whistles at the end of his read.
"Anyone who marries him is super lucky!"
Uh...he somehow squealed?
"Please don't tell poor sis you're gay, Yura," the other brother said coldly.
"If Uchiha Sasuke is willing to take me that is," and Yura earned two wide eyed stares from both his siblings.
Sakura held in her laughter when she suddenly remembered the same thought she once had.
"I didn't know you're all about the money, brother…," said Yuno.
"Yeah…" Sakura added.
"Come on, you two. Quit giving me that kind of look. Besides, Uchiha Sasuke already has a fiancée. Rumour says it's an arranged marriage and it's quite likely when they have been engaged for years without any news of holding the wedding," Yuno continued,
"Another rumour says that the fiancée isn't quite fond of Uchiha Sasuke and is against their engagement because he's a ladies' man. Well, it's normal to have fun being rich, eh?"
"You mean a playboy," Sakura raised a brow.
"SUPER playboy! You better watch out for him, sis. If you had such a chance. Hahaha!" Yura laughed out loud.
Sakura grew quiet. Yuno stole silent glances at the pink haired female who didn't notice when she quickly became distracted by the television programme.
'Mr Uchiha, we are all very curious about your engagement to the Hyuuga heiress and we all knew it has been years since. Is there by chance a wedding soon?'
The young man of jet black hair smiled in response at first and answered professionally,
'At the moment there are no plans made but hopefully I would like to wed soon. Marriage is something sacred and I wholly embrace the belief that it must be with The only one.'
'Wow, that's quite a statement. I'm sure Ms Hyuuga would be pleased to hear that.'
And he smiled again as a polite gesture towards the host.
'That is all for today. Thank you for being here with us, Mr Uchiha. And thank you all for tuning in—'
Click.
Yuno turned off the television before the credits could roll; part of his habit. Subsequently, picked himself up along with his empty bowl.
"Hey, I was watching that!" Yura scolded.
"It's already the end," Yuno replied monotonously. "I'll do the dishes, Sakura."
Before Sakura could react, he lifted the empty bowl from her hands and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Soon the sound of the tap squeaked when it was being turned then followed by the sound of running water and dishes were faintly heard; Sakura was stunned by surprise when she expected nothing from Yuno to volunteer like that. And...
"Er...Yura…," the pink haired female turned to her younger brother.
"Yeah?"
"Did you hear what Yuno said?"
"I'm sorry but what did he say?"
It's hopeless to confirm with Yura when he's in the midst of reading through every detail he could find in the magazine of his idol. He practically is not paying any attention, a guy in the world of his own.
Sakura wasn't too sure; she sensed something's a little off about Yuno like he's...grown up a bit. And did he actually call her by her name instead of 'sis'?
That couldn't be, she shrugged.
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DRINGG! DRRING!
DRRING! DRRING!
There goes the loud and very loud phone of the Sunshine Cleaners; famous for its old fashioned ringtone and the classic retro outlook with a rotary dial!
Who knows where Yura picked up the antique from. The best part, it still works!
"Hello and good morning, this is the Sunshine Cleaners. How may I help you?"
Sakura picked up the device and clipped it between her ears and shoulder while her hands continued to be busy on the laundry business; ironing and packing her customers' clothes.
It's the third day of the week, Wednesday.
Without Yuno being at home, she had plenty of laundry orders to complete herself. The boy had set off on an intellectual journey to win the Grand Prize he eagerly eyed on. He'll win, Sakura is confident in her brother so there's no problem except her own.
'It's me,' said the voice of a man on the other end of the line.
Familiar.
His voice wasn't too deep and not too light either. It was clear with a confident tone. But she had no idea who.
'You can't recognise my voice, I'm sure.'
"I'm...sorry. I don't. Can I help you with anything, sir?" she replied politely while her mind continued to depict who it might be.
And she isn't in the mood for pranks.
'I can't believe you really don't recognise the stranger you could slap hard enough to make it last,' he chuckled a little at the end.
"Ah!" Sakura gasped at the hint of the caller.
Uchiha Sasuke!
"I'm sorry, sir. We've got a lot of orders in queue. If you are in no need of our services, we would appreciate it if you do not hog the line. Thank you. Good day."
PLAP!
She hung up.
So what if he's high and famous and rich. Doesn't mean he could meddle around as he saw fit!
DRRING! DRRING!
"Hello and good morning, this is the Sunshine Cleaners. How may I help you?" she picked up the phone again.
'You know, I quite like the way you sound like a phone operator.'
PLAP!
Sakura didn't hesitate to hang up without saying another word. That guy is messing around with her shop!
DRRING! DRRING!
For the last time, she's going to stick up to his foolishness and pick up the phone; she place the handset towards her ear.
It's definitely him. Again.
'Hello? I was expecting you to be saying those fancy lines again. It's quite silly of you to be ignoring me, you know,' Sasuke said bluntly.
How arrogant of him early in the morning!
"Mr Uchiha, I'm politely asking you to please leave my telephone line alone. I've got customers waiting to get through," she withheld her frustration and spoke as polite as her patience could allow.
'I am one. And I'm calling to hire you. This instant. I'll pay you thrice the price.'
"Then how may I help you, MR Uchiha?" she made her sound sarcastic enough to earn a chuckle from the other side.
Oh, she's disliking him quite much to this point.
'It's an emergency. Come to my house ASAP! I can't get out of my bedroom with that MONSTROUS CREATURE running loose!'
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*Starlight Tower*
Good thing Naruto left the access card with her when he had totally forgotten about it; Sakura helped herself into the fancy elevator where the view was ever-breathtaking and arrived at the place she thought she might never visit again.
Here she is. Again.
Standing before the main entrance to the Uchiha's lair.
She assumed he might not be available to open the door for her since he had locked himself up in his bedroom, hiding from this 'monster' he mentioned.
Despite that, he didn't really sound as if he was in an emergency or panic when he had the time to tease her on the phone.
Punching in a few passcode numbers from memory, the door quietly unlocked.
Compared to the first time she's been here, the penthouse was brightly lit with the late morning sunshine whereby the curtains were fully drawn today.
However, the living hall is as untidy as she recalled.
Clothes were all over the place; on the sofa, chairs, floor and a tie was left hanging on the kitchen cabinet's handle. The owner must have forgotten about it when he was getting a drink from the fridge or...too busy for something else…Not an idea she would want to pursue further.
Sakura almost tripped on shoes it's owner messily left without returning it into the shoe rack.
It's a custom made shoe rack; the Uchiha didn't bother to utilize it well and decided to leave every pair he had used at the front door.
"Mr Uchiha? Mr Uchiha?" she called out loud as she wandered along the corridor searching for him.
This place is bigger than she thought.
Definitely more horizontally spacious than her home, consisting more rooms than she had imagined. Everything was perfectly furnished with the finest quality and design.
The owner even acquired exquisite paintings that she could be impressed about despite she has no sense of art.
At the end of the corridor was a smaller sitting area enhanced with only a gramophone; the brass horn was intricately detailed and it's wooden body had a classy sheen that it was well cared for for an antique piece.
Wonder if it still works?
And the best of all, standing behind glass doors was the balcony. It has a spectacular view, even better than the one in the elevator she once believed was most fascinating.
This. Is far better.
In the middle of this picturesque image was the country's Ferris Wheel, an icon that stood large and majestic for all to admire. But this place had captured the best of it.
As the big wheel rotated slowly, Sakura couldn't help but to stare.
She was about to slide open the doors to immerse herself in the breathtaking skyline if she wasn't interrupted by the voice she finally able to recognise,
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Standing behind her, there he is: Uchiha Sasuke, the annoying client of the day.
Besides that, she was glad he was fully dressed in a casual T-shirt and sweatpants without exposing anything like the last time.
"Sort of," Sakura lied, earning her a smirk that he didn't quite believe her,
"Alright, I'm here and where's this 'monster' you're referring to?"
"I don't know," he casually answered.
"Sorry?"
"I'm not sure where but it can fly. That flat bodied six legged creature is somewhere somehow in my house. I wouldn't be that stupid to confront such a disgusting monster!"
"A cockroach…? You called me over just for a cockroach?" she repeated, growing pissed.
Sakura was starting to believe that she was dumb enough not to think earlier. She's being pranked on!
She hated herself AND that Uchiha!
"What else did you think it was?" he shoved his hands into his pockets and smirked.
"Look, Mr Uchiha. I'd be happy to catch that monster for you but now it's...nowhere to be seen and I can't sit around all day to wait for it to come o—"
"I'd say I would pay you."
"It's not about the money but—"
"I'm hiring the rest of your day."
Speechless. Sakura became utterly speechless.
It's not about the money damn it. What about her other customers? She already wasted a lot of travelling time getting stuck in the traffic just for his sake. If he wasn't so demanding and unreasonable and her being a little guilty, she would have ignored him.
"You can't do th—"
"It'll be fine. Come, I need to go somewhere,"
He didn't bother to listen and grabbed her by the wrist dragging her with him.
.
He dragged her with him alright.
First stop: Breakfast!
His stomach began growling loudly during their elevator travel to the ground floor. Something he was quite bashful about by turning away hugging it.
That's one side of him not everyone could see any day, Sakura thought. But she acted as though she wasn't paying attention despite she caught him checking up on her.
Upon reaching their destination, Sasuke took the lead and waltzed right into an exclusive restaurant he seemed used going to.
The employees of the place too seemed to expect him at this time of the day and made no mistake directing him towards the table he intended to be.
Later, the Head among the waiters and waitresses came to greet him,
"Good morning, Mr Uchiha. The usual?"
"Yes, please."
"Right away, sir."
Sakura could confirm that Mr Uchiha is a very regular customer of this fancy place.
This place is really fancy!
Thick carpets, soft music, soothing lighting, weighty cutlery, premium service and the place is spacious and the tablecloth, oh, what beautiful fabric it is.
Sakura had a particular thing for tablecloths, wow, it smells heavenly too!
Wonder what good stuff the cleaners used to wash them?
The fragrant wasn't too strong yet it retained a particular note that it was clean and fresh.
She couldn't help but to continuously run her fingers on its smooth surface over and over, admiring the expensive fabric.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the waiter began serving from hot towels to steaming coffee which stepped up from the classy perfume of the place, then a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, a bread basket with butter and honey and lastly a big breakfast; of two sunny eggs, a slice of bacon and ham, grilled cherry tomatoes, salted mushrooms, a scoop of baked beans and bite sized crispy hash browns.
Uchiha Sasuke has quite the appetite for breakfast, she thought to herself.
It amuses her to see him uphold a good level of table manners and ate with grace; in terms of the way he held his cutlery and soundlessly sipped his cup and quietly returned it back onto its saucer.
Never thought he could be a gentleman once he stepped outside of his door.
"If you want a bite, I'm glad to offer you," he teased;
He caught her for staring mindlessly at him for too long to get noticed.
"I'm perfectly fine and no thank you," she replied, turning away out of embarrassment followed by his light chuckle.
"You should join me for breakfast some time. I recommend their croissants," Sasuke intentionally made casual talks,
"Their poached eggs are good. And their juices too."
"Anyone can make good juices, Mr Uchiha. All it takes is a juicer," Sakura couldn't help but to reply.
"Poached eggs, sunny eggs, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, you name it. Breakfast is something so easy to make at home."
She thinks it's silly to be spending double the price for an ordinary breakfast when she is capable of making it on her own.
Guess this is the difference between the rich and the poor.
"What about croissants?" Sasuke asked.
"It's simple," she answered.
"I bet these mushrooms are hard to cook," he forked one up.
"Sautéed with simple salt and black pepper!"
"Hash browns?"
"Deep fried, easy!"
"The bacon here is exceptional."
"All bacons are similar, Mr Uchiha. That's because you don't do kitchen research although you have a well-equipped one."
That.
If only she could sense that he was leading her on to the next thing that she would instantly regret.
"Alright, it's settled!" Sasuke's face lit delightfully, "From tomorrow on, you'll be hired as my personal breakfast chef. Be sure to serve at nine in the morning!"
WHAT!?
"Mr Uchiha, I'm not agreeing to any—"
The pinkette tried to fight her way through but the moment the raven male held up his index finger, she became silent.
"One month."
The seriousness of his tone matches the expression in his eyes.
"W-What…?"
"You have one month to impress me," he said.
"If you fail, it'll be the end of our meeting. I won't bother you or you bother me," he paused momentarily.
His suddenness has startled her very much to grow stiff in her chair.
"But."
"But?"
"If you impress me…," he paused again with a hidden smirk.
The two ended up exchanging glances in the interval that long pause he intentionally prolonged.
Long enough for Sakura to notice that he had long eyelashes; so dark just like his hair and eyes.
She felt the heat starting to grow on the surface of her cheeks and endured this growing silent tension of embarrassment; she dared not look away to stay in the game.
"A-And what…?"
Sakura quickly broke the silence before her cheeks would grow too hot to be visible.
The raven haired guy smirked even more.
"I'll tell you if you do."
And continued with where he left off his breakfast. It was obvious he was very satisfied teasing her early in the morning.
She sighed at heart hoping the day would end sooner.
.
.
This is crazy!
Uchiha Sasuke is insane!
Right after breakfast, he decided that they should hop on the bus for a ride.
A cramped bus ride during this hour.
Just because Mr Uchiha had NEVER sat on a bus in his long years of life. He only had his chauffeur drive him around or drive himself around, without a doubt in an expensive car even though he didn't mention it out loud.
He wanted to get the 'feel' of the ordinary life, he said.
Sakura was speechless at that.
It's alright to be riding public transport but...it's getting uncomfortable when everyone keeps staring in their direction, except the bus driver of course!
HIS direction to be correct.
Duh!
Almost everyone knows who Uchiha Sasuke is despite how he tried to keep a low profile by dressing up in the casual-est outfit.
And that pink cap, why on earth must he wear a pink cap?
And designer square black shades of the latest fashion that made him stand out even more! Perhaps to him they were just ordinary shades.
People began taking pictures and videos with their phones and whispering endlessly.
Sakura grew tensed as she quietly stood next to him, she pretended not to be acquainted with him by providing some gap between them.
But that guy was stupidly doing the opposite!
"Omigosh, that really IS Uchiha Sasuke. He looks way hotter in real life than the pictures in magazines," that was one of those whispers.
"Why is he here? I'm starting to think this is my luckiest day. I wonder if I can take a pic with him. Excuse me, can I pass through?"
Too bad girl, the bus is packed without any space to move about.
"Hn. Those girls are all the same," Sasuke snorted silently in the pinkette's ear.
She turned to him not noticing how close they were and came to look at her own reflection in his deep black shades; forgetting that he was actually staring at her from behind them.
It startled her when he pulled down his eyewear a bit to allow their eyes to meet.
"You've something to say?" he initiated.
Sakura quickly turned away into a different direction. She disliked how uncomfortable she is right now; people leaning against her back and another just smelled awful for not taking a bath?
And Uchiha Sasuke, he's creating a scene by just existing!
Attracting female admires from every corner of the bus and them trying their best to push their way closer to him.
She began cursing at heart for tagging along and listening to him when she should have suggested driving him in her van instead.
"Ah, I can't get a good shot. That pinky girl is blocking half of him! She's so big, she should have stood aside," began one girls at the other end of the bus.
What..?
"Yeah, maybe we can tell her to move to the corner so we can see him," said another.
"Pfft, I bet she might not be able to slip through since it's so tight," and another.
Then they began laughing.
Sakura glanced over to them.
The group of girls didn't seem to feel guilty about their earlier conversation being overheard, instead they smirked back at her.
Youngsters these days know no manners, she sighed and decided to ignore them.
To her, those words weren't anything new. She received similar comments and slanders from time to time.
So what if she's a BIG girl and all?
It's not like she's aiming to be a supermodel or a celebrity. She needed no pretty looks but to stay strong; a heart of steel to pull through the toughest days.
And those tough days were harsher than those words that only sting like needles.
It's nothing compared to the weight of responsibility to provide for her brothers and sister the time when she lost both her parents overnight.
She didn't mind working extra hard for the triplets and staying up late to get home chores done after a long day's work and ended up taking late night snacks to add to the pounds.
It doesn't matter, to her, she only wanted the best for her brothers and sister even if she had to sacrifice all of herself.
And she did.
She made a comfortable home for them, provided them with good meals and a good roof.
Really, those words are just words but...it still hurts.
The sting is still real.
All she could do was to keep quiet and pretend like she heard nothing; she always does.
Just so,
"That's what makes you beautiful..."
A tender whisper from the back of her ear; very quietly, like a brush of a breeze.
It surprised her, making her turn around to face a pair of staring onyx eyes.
Was he the one who said that?
There, Sasuke smiled;
Small and sincere enough to admit that it really was him who said them. He must have enjoyed teasing her a lot, she thought at first but somehow this time it...wasn't…
She wouldn't want to think he really meant them and looked away,
"We're getting off the next stop. Get ready for the rush," she pretended not to care about a word he said.
He's one big playboy and flirting is just part of his favourite past time she bet.
To him, it's just a common phrase to any woman he meets and making their heart skip the beat is his game, her heart reminded.
If it weren't that guilt inside of her for slapping him terribly hard that he ended up appearing on television with a mark on the cheek, Sakura wouldn't agree to listen to his requests.
And the place he wanted to ride a bus to was a surprisingly common pet groomer's place out of the city.
Not the fanciest kind that Sakura had expected; it's a house with a wooden plaque 'Inuzuka Vet & Groomers' fixed at the front door.
Quite the traditional wooden house to be precise.
From afar she could see that shiny wooden flooring, classic sliding wooden doors, traditional lampshades that hung along the porch and bamboo blinds; it's really classical to some point as there were few modern fixtures here and there which made it look contemporary.
Entering the gates, there's a garden at the front with neatly trimmed bonsai trees, a fish pond with fishes in it and a set of stone garden table and stools at a corner; a perfect picture of a serene atmosphere.
It's rather peaceful and quiet in this neighbourhood as this place has detached itself from the hustle and bustle of the noisy city.
Aside from,
"KIBA! COME OUT IF YOU'RE HOME, KIBAAA!"
So much for maintaining peace.
It startled the pink haired female when Sasuke yelled out loud like that while he stood at the front door of the house.
"Mr Uchiha, what are you doing!?" she quickly went up to him, whispering worriedly.
"I'm calling out to the owner of this place," Sasuke answered casually before taking a deep breath,
"KIBA! COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU—"
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
"THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU UCHIHA!"
Indeed, someone really came stomping hastily out of the house, scolding.
He had spiky brown hair, a pair of obvious baby fangs and weird looking red facial markings on both his cheeks. He also wore a cute apron with paw prints on it.
This guy is exotic.
Guess she's out of fashion these days for being too busy, huh? Sakura thought.
"There's. Something. Called. A. Telephone. Damn it!" the guy gritted his teeth angrily.
"I texted you before I arrived," Mr Uchiha answered innocently.
"Call! How many times should I repeat myse—Argh...whatever...come on in. That pesky feline of yours is ever so difficult. Like it's master!"
The guy named Kiba complained, turned around and returned deeper into the house. Again, stomping angrily.
Sasuke quickly took off his sneakers and followed him, Sakura copied the same.
It's a neat and cozy house to begin with; the interiors had few furnitures to keep the place spacious. Wind chimes were hung to create a relaxing ambiance as they clinged and the wooden flooring makes walking warmer.
Again. Everything revolves around the sense of being peaceful and quiet until they made their way to the back where the sound of animals were heard.
"I'm the only one here today. My sister and mother were out. Help yourselves around while I go get him," said Kiba and he quickly disappeared.
Sakura took the opportunity to look around; there were a number of pets being entrusted here. It's like a community of cats and dogs that dominated the place. And they began staring at her from behind the glass door, curiously.
"Sakura."
The pink haired female reacted spontaneously towards the call; there Sasuke took a seat on the floor while he sipped a hot drink he really helped himself with.
"Yes?" she replied.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
Out of the blue, he asked; with no hesitation in the tone of his question and with demand of an answer.
Sakura paused.
Her mind went blank in an instant from the suddenness and a question she had not thought about carefully until he raised it.
"I...guess so…?" she replied with uncertainty.
"Guess not, huh?" he smiled to himself a while before staring straight into her eyes,
"But I do."
His voice was firm and affirmative of his beliefs. He rose to his feet to approach her without taking his eyes off her for a second.
His taller figure made Sakura back away slowly out nervously and he didn't seem to stop until he cornered her a bit.
"I really do believe in destiny. If only you could re—"
MREEEEEEAAAAAAWWW! Hissss! Hissss!
The sound of a cat followed by a complaining Kiba immediately broke the tension between the two,
"Ah! Hold still you naughty little bugger! Here, take him back and don't come back!"
Kiba quickly shoved the black feline back into its owner's arms. Sasuke scooped it into his arms and placed a loving kiss on its head,
"Hello there, little guy. Meow meow meow?"
He began talking cat as he stroked his pet that it began purring in his arms,
"Aww, he says he hates you too, Kiba," and laughed at his own joke,
"But I still like to bring him over, you're the best groomer I could find. Am I right, boy? Who looks so handsome now? Meow meow?"
Sasuke began tossing his four legged friend into the air, swung it in circles and cradled it. The animal didn't seem to mind one bit but love being toyed with.
It's quite a disbelieving sight to see the high and mighty Uchiha Sasuke to be not so high and mighty while off-screen, Sakura concluded at heart.
Her thoughts were derailed when Kiba approached in the friendliest manner,
"Hello, you're a friend of Sasuke's?"
Finally, at least someone normal to speak to for the day, she thanked innerly.
"Er...not exactly…"
Kiba's eyes widen a little in surprise for some reason,
"I don't suppose you're his new secretary?" he chuckled.
Hmm, that doesn't sound too positive...
"By the way I'm Inuzuka Kiba. Pet groomer," he briefly introduced himself and held out a business card.
"Sorry for being rude but it's quite a surprise that Sasuke would be accompanied by someone else aside from his secretary," Kiba rubbed his nose bashfully.
"Sexy Secretary, huh," she added sarcastically.
"Yeah, every one of them really are sexy. And a different one every time I see him with," he whispered.
Sakura didn't say a word.
Though it was no longer surprising to her; Uchiha Sasuke IS a playboy as she knew it and the way he behaves matches the fact.
"But he's a nice guy. I mean deep down he really is a nice person. He's not particularly an animal person but he took in a cat somehow," Kiba shrugged his shoulders a bit for not getting the logic,
Sakura couldn't see HIS logic either; What makes Sasuke a good guy by adopting a pet?
"He and I were high school friends. To this day, I still can't believe why I became friends with this selfish, illogical, demanding guy…"
Sakura could immediately agree to some point on Kiba's claim as she is the current victim for being dragged around today.
But no matter how much he complained about the dark haired male who was too busy pampering his pet, Kiba didn't have the slightest sense of disliking the guy as he described.
Instead, he was glad to have him as a friend. The honest smile on Kiba tells, then it's back to his grumpy character,
"If you're done, hurry up and get out of here. I don't want a sports car to be blocking the main gate!" said the groomer.
"No worries, I took the bus today," Sasuke replied casually.
Sakura could see that Kiba was dumbfound for a second.
.
.
.
"Aaah, why must it rain so suddenly!?"
Sakura groaned, being drenched from the sudden rain that poured as the two were heading to the bus stop to catch a ride back to after they left Kiba's place.
Both ended up running towards the nearest shed they could find to take cover from the heavy downpour.
She began fixing herself with some tissue until she noticed that Sasuke tried to dry his cat he cradled in his arms with his shirt.
"You can't do that. Let me help," carefully she did her best to remove as much wetness from the feline's fur.
She realised that she was being observed by a certain someone while her hands were at work but pretended not to notice.
"Tomato likes you."
Sasuke's voice became so clear even when he said them in the sound of the crashing rain.
Tomato?
His cat is Tomato?
"You named your pet after a vegetable?" Sakura sounded disbelieving.
"Yeah. I picked him up from a sidewalk in a tomato box when he was a kitten. Can't I?"
For some reason, his voice was very clear. She heard him with no doubt or missed an expression. It was a moment when the world contained only the both of them...and the cat.
Speaking about his cat. And aside from being called Tomato, poor thing.
It has black fur. Shiny black, black fur; every inch of it. Just like Sasuke's!
It is a perfect combination of master and pet!
With eyes so big with a hint of green, it stared at Sakura in the most adorable way as she gently stroked its head. The pinkette couldn't help but to smile.
That's when she heard him again,
"You really...really are beautiful…"
Stop.
Even if it's a joke, she thinks it is enough for a day. For him to lead her to false claims like that just so he could entertain himself, she wouldn't buy it.
It made her a little angry at him for teasing her too much when it was obvious enough that she wasn't beautiful at all. Not even the slightest.
She isn't anywhere near his sexy secretary; tall, slim and beautifully dressed in skin tight dresses and high heeled shoes, she assumed.
Look at her.
She's just in a plain simple T-shirt and jeans that screams an XXL with old sneakers that needed replacement soon.
Therefore, there is no way he could be serious.
"Mr Uchiha. Could you please stop saying that," she spoke outright with a confronting stare.
Sasuke smiled.
"I may not be the smartest girl but I wouldn't be silly enough to listen to the same lie all the time. Moreover, I would appreciate it if you would stop mocking me," she said.
"What makes you think that I was?"
"Because it's impossible!"
"Impossible about what?"
Sakura was tongue tied for a moment,
"I-Impossible that I'm beautiful. I'm BIG and short. Since I was a child no one ever admitted that I was beautiful. And here you are making fun of me!"
The Uchiha paused for a long while without breaking eye contact with a pair of determined greens.
"You really don't remember...don't you, Haruno Sakura?"
Almost a whisper, those words were the clearest he said despite how loud the sound of the falling waters in the middle of an afternoon.
He pronounced her name without the slightest mistake.
As if...he had known her from before.
Helloww dearies,
I apologise for the late update so please do forgive me about that, things have been busier (although I say this all the time...laughs…) And I do my best to put some speed into long chapters like this. So please be patient with me.
Nevertheless, thank you for reading and thank you for the likes, follows and review!
This story is a tribute to all single ladies out there no matter HOW you are, WHAT you are, WHO you are, there WILL always be someone out there waiting for you to discover.
So do you believe in destiny?
Meanwhile, allow me to sweeten your day with a typical love story to make your day the pink-iest possible!
I'll see you lovelies in the next chapter!
Reply to review:
DevilHell: Hello sweetie, thank you for leaving a review and yes, I'm back with another instalment. Thank you so much for following the story, it really made my day to receive a comment that my previous story has reached out to someone out there!
Yes, yes, yes, love yourself more. That's the best form of beauty!
Stay confident and stay safe out there dear. Tata for now.