The workday was going by slow, as usual. My arms felt tense as I stretched. I didn't sleep very well last night. For the first time in forever, I dreamt about Sasuke. He has been gone for about a month now. He left for his business trip alongside his ex-fiancé Karin. I thought back to when he called me right before he boarded his plane.

-

"Thanks for waking me up you jerk. What the hell do you want, Sasuke?" I spat out, clenching my teeth together. I stared at my alarm clock which read 7:42AM. How dare he wake me up this early on a Sunday.

" I wanted to apologize about what happened last night. You know I wasn't myself. I was wasted. I can't remember the last time I drank that much. You didn't deserve that. How are you feeling?" His apology caught me off guard. I stared at the ceiling for a moment before giving my response.

"Sigh, I know. I should apologize as well. I'm sure you've got a good bruise on your left cheek by now." I couldn't help but smirk. He did deserve it.

"Hn, yeah it's pretty sore. I guess I deserved it, though. I was a jerk." He replied.

"Yes, you were. You also weren't yourself, just like you said. I know you were just confused with your emotions and feelings with everything going on between Karin and I. It's funny, I can't remember the last time you opened up and apologized to me. Even when we were together, you had a hard time communicating." The words left my mouth before I could process them. Why am I talking about our relationship? I shouldn't even be talking to him at all. He stayed quiet for a minute and I asked if he was still on the line.

"Yeah I'm still here. I know I've had trouble communicating, but I've been trying to work on that." He sighed into the phone.

"Well, maybe you should mend your relationship with Karin, you know, since you're working on that." I may have come off a bit too harsh with that statement.

"I would rather mend my relationship with you, Sakura." He whispered, as if he didn't want other people to hear.

"Save it, Sasuke. That's not happening." I abruptly ended the call and somehow went back to sleep for a couple more hours.

-

Everything seemed to be getting easier with Sasuke being away on his trip. After that phone call, he never attempted to call or text me. Every day without a notification from him sent a wave or relief throughout my body. It also sent a wave of sadness.

I couldn't understand why I was starting to hope that he would reach out to me. I told him that nothing would happen between us. I told him that our relationship could not be mended.

Am I in denial of my feelings? I think I'm starting to go crazy. I need a night out. I finished out my work day and asked Ino and Hinata if they wanted to go out for dinner tonight. Both girls agreed to meet at a sushi bar at 7PM.

The girls and I shared some Japanese rice balls and continued with our small talk.

"Hinata I haven't seen you since we all got together at Sasuke's! What have you been up to?" Ino asked as she stuffed her face with food. I gave her a puzzled look as she continued to chew. "What? I didn't eat lunch today."

"Well, uh, I've been spending some time with Naruto, actually." Hinata blurted out, shocking Ino and I, both.

"Are, are you two together?!" I exclaimed, my smile spread from ear to ear in excitement.

Hinata's face turned bright red and she nodded her head, yes. My mouth gaped in shock.

"After you left that night, Sakura, we actually hooked up."

...

"What. The. Hell. Hinata." Ino paused mid chew and managed to get those four words out. Ino and I laughed with joy and excitement.

"Hinata, that is so unlike you! What was it like? Details." I was on the edge of my seat. Wait, did I really want to know how Naruto's game was? Eh, what the hell.

"Haha stop it guys! It was just drunk sex. I barely remember half of it. But, it was great." She became so nervous she could barely get her words out.

"Okay, okay, we won't bother you with it anymore. But I'm so happy for you Hinata! I can't believe you guys are finally together. I know you two have had your eyes on each other for a long time." I rested my head on my hands and gleamed. Two of my closest friends were finally together, genuinely happy.

"Thanks, Sakura." Hinata replied. Ino raised her glass and gave a small toast to the new couple. We ordered some dessert and more wine.

"So, Sakura, any more news on Sasuke? I mean, since he called you and tried to apologize a few weeks ago?" In asked. Ino just had to get all the new deets from everyone.

"No, actually. I haven't heard from him. Feels kind of strange. To be honest, it's been driving me a little crazy. I don't know what's going on with me." I confessed. I slumped down in my chair and looked into my wine glass, avoiding any eye contact. I could feel my friends staring at me.

"So, you're confused about your feelings for Sasuke? Why don't you just reach out to him, instead?" Ino asked.

"What! I can't do that. I told him that we're never getting back together. Plus, I don't think he's changed. He tried to make me his rebound after breaking it off with Karin." I responded.

"You haven't exactly spent enough time with him since you two even crossed paths, again. How do you know for sure that he hasn't changed?" Hinata chimed in.

"No, I've spent enough time with him to know." I barked back.

"Sakura, it's been five years. I know what you two had back then wasn't the best, but maybe things could be different the second time around." Ino interjected. I abruptly stood up, having enough of this conversation.

"I'm not giving him another chance. I'm not putting myself through any more drama. I'll talk to you girls later. Goodnight." I stormed off, my blood almost boiling. How could they think I should give him a second chance? Why weren't they seeing my side of things?

"You're just being stubborn Sakura! Like always! We love you!" Ino called out to me, unsure as to whether I heard her words.

But I heard them.

Was I being stubborn? Have I just been blocking off my feelings towards him? Maybe I'm just scared of being hurt again.

I got in a cab and headed home, wanting a warm bath to help clear my head.

I lowered myself into the bathtub and rested my head. I looked over to my left and grabbed my glass of wine, taking in a huge gulp. Soft music played in the background, the bathroom only lit by two candles nearby.

Ah, this is just what I needed.

I reached for my phone to change the genre of music, when, suddenly, I got two text messages.

Sasuke: Sakura, how are things in New York?

Sasuke: Can't help but think about you.

I rolled my eyes at the second message. Should I even reply to him? I placed my phone face down on the counter next to the tub. No, this is my relaxing time. My phone buzzed once more. Minutes went by as I fought the urge to look at the screen. I caved.

Sasuke: Business deal is looking good so far. Should be back in about three weeks.

I couldn't help but smile. As much as I hate to admit it, I loved seeing things going so well for him.

Sakura: Things are good on the East Coast. Glad business is going well for you. We'll talk later. I'm trying to enjoy my "me time" while I still can.

Sasuke: Let me guess, bath, wine, music and candles?

Ugh, he knew me too well. It's what I always did to help myself relax and unwind. When we were living together, he'd sometimes have the bathroom already set up for me after a long shift at work.

Sakura: Lucky guess. Goodnight, Sasuke.

Sasuke: I don't think so. Goodnight, Sakura.

I remained in the tub until the water began to cool and my toes and fingertips pruned. I rose from the water and pulled my towel from the rack and wrapped it around my damp body. I turned to a mirror and began to brush my hair out. My split end in desperate need of a trim.

My phone buzzed after a few minutes and I grabbed it immediately, expecting it to be Sasuke, but to no avail. Why am so disappointed that it wasn't him?

Perhaps Ino was right. Maybe I am being stubborn with myself. Maybe I don't want to admit that my feelings for Sasuke have started to rekindle. After debating with myself, I finally decided to send a late night text. At 12:33AM to be exact.

Sakura: Hey. Hope I'm not waking you.

One minute later.

Sasuke: Considering it's only 9:34PM here, no you didn't wake me. Everything okay?

Sakura: Yes, just wanted to talk to you.

Sasuke: How the tables have turned.

Sakura: Whatever. Anyways..

Sasuke and I exchanged messages for over an hour. I worked up the courage to explain to him how I've been battling myself with my feelings towards him. He joked with me, saying he already knew how I truly felt about him deep down. All joking aside, though, he told me he was happy to feel a connection with me once again.

Honestly, it felt great talking to him again. We reminisced about old times and even fantasized about new ones. It almost felt surreal how fast we were connecting with one another. As if, we never truly parted ways.

Sakura: Well, it's almost 2AM over here, I should be going to bed.

Sasuke: Okay. I enjoyed our conversation. Talk tomorrow?

Sakura: Sure. Goodnight, Sasuke.

Sasuke: Goodnight, Sakura.

Sasuke was due back in New York in just under a week. Time seemed to move even slower than it did before. Over the past couple of weeks, Sasuke and I continued our late night talks. He would give me details on how business was going, and how Karin made everything more difficult just to get under his skin.

I told him that I spoke with some of our friends here, about us. All of them seemed excited about our reconnection. I also told them that Sasuke and I would be taking a much slower approach. They agreed that that was probably for the best, considering our past.

I also told Sasuke that it would probably take me a while to trust him. We managed to talk about our past relationship, and what changes would need to be made in order to keep this new one running smoothly. Of course, there will be bumps in the road, but with better communication, maybe we can handle them.

-

My alarm blared and disturbed me from my slumber. I forced my head into my pillow and grumbled, not wanting to get up. Reluctantly, I willed myself out of bed and into the bathroom. I grabbed my toothbrush and began my morning routine.

Once I was dressed and ready for work, I went into the kitchen to grab a quick meal before heading out. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table. Three spoonfuls in, I started browsing through my phone, getting the latest updates of the world. I scrolled and scrolled until a photo caught my eye. I made my way back to the article post and almost went into shock.

SASUKE BACK WITH EX- FIANCÉ?

It was a picture of Karin and Sasuke kissing at a table. They were both dressed up, given the fancy venue, with people around them cheering, as if they were celebrating.

That fucking piece of shit.

Well guys, I have to say I'm excited about the drama! Next chapter coming soon!