Just to let anyone who is interested know, I'll probably be posting the first chapter of my NaNoWriMo story, Secrets of the Crown, but the end of the week. Make sure to follow me to get the notification, or tune in to the next chapter of this story for a reminder that it's published :)

Chapter 19

"I'll see you later, Gai!" Sakura calls as she steps out of the coffee shop and onto the street. She smiled as the gentle evening breeze wove through her hair.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to see a text message from her mother. Going to dinner with Minato. Making yours now. She shot back a quick ok, then pulled up her texts with Kakashi. Mom is going out, she sent.

Mebuki had been making dinner lately, which Sakura appreciated. She was always tired after work, yes, but it also made her feel like her mother was contributing to the household. She still refused to get a job, which meant Sakura was paying all the bills. Thankfully Gai didn't mind giving her a few extra shifts to makeup for one extra person living in her apartment.

Mebuki was just pouring sauce over a pan of noodles when Sakura entered the apartment. "I hope baked ziti is fine," she said, smiling at her daughter. "I thought it'd be quick and easy."

"Ziti's fine," Sakura said. She threw her purse on the counter and went back to her bedroom to change out of her work clothes. Though naturally she threw on a similar outfit, jeans and a solid blue shirt.

Mebuki was just grabbing her own purse when Sakura came back out. "Minato is waiting downstairs," she said. She moved to kiss Sakura's head, which made her daughter groan. "You'll meet him soon. I promise."

Mebuki left, and Sakura sat on the kitchen counter to wait for the ziti to finish or for Kakashi to arrive, whichever came first. Kakashi hadn't replied to her text, but she still knew he was coming. Sure enough, just as the timer dinged for the ziti, Kakashi let himself into her apartment.

"What did Mebuki make today?" Kakashi asked. Though he hadn't seen much of her lately, Sakura mentioned her enough that he felt as if he knew her closely.

"Baked ziti," Sakura said.

"Quick and easy tonight, I see."

She wondered if he somehow knew her mother had said the same thing.

"What are we doing tonight? We could go—"

"Let's make cookies," she interrupted him.

"Cookies?"

"The oven is already warm. Come on, it'd be fun."

Kakashi had never baked before, which became obvious to Sakura the moment he tried using baking soda instead of baking powder. He tried mixing the liquid and dry ingredients from the beginning, and if she had left him alone he would have exploded the butter in the microwave.

They managed to get the first pan of cookies in the oven and sat down to eat the baked ziti. Kakashi asked her about work, if Gai was causing too much trouble. He even asked about Lee with what Sakura thought was a sour tone to his voice.

"I bet you can't fit a whole cookie in your mouth," Kakashi said when she pulled the cookies out of the oven.

"They're going to be hot," she whined. The look he gave her said he didn't care, she wouldn't do it anyway. "Fine, here I go."

The cookie was as big as her palm. She managed to shove it in her mouth with minimal breakage on the cookie's part, making his eyes go wide. If she didn't know any better she'd say he was blushing.

They both got big glasses of milk and took the cookies into the living room to watch a movie. He picked out a Disney Pixar film, surprising her. They laid on the couch together. He laughed along at the same places she did, and soon the cookies and milk were forgotten and he pulled her against him.

She stopped paying attention to the movie. He had kissed her a few times, once very heavily during laser tag, but this seemed on a whole other level of intimacy. She had only ever known couples to cuddle on the couch, and a couple they were not. But she wished they were.

Her cheek rested against his heart, and she listened as it slowed down. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get hers to match his. Her heart was a jackhammer, beating fast and hard. When he started snoring softly, she knew he had fallen asleep. She pulled his turtleneck down a little, not wanting him to suffocate himself.

She never wanted this moment to end. He laying on her couch, she laying on top of him. The Disney Pixar movie playing in the background, the smell of baked ziti and cookies in the air. They were in their own little world where nothing mattered but them, and she wanted it to be like that all the time. It was so perfect.

So perfect she needed to commit it to memory.

She eased off of him, not wanting to wake him. He grumbled when she got up, but otherwise stayed asleep. She let out a tense breath, then went to her bedroom. She plopped on her bed, powered up her laptop, and opened a blank document.

She was going to write. After a lifetime of reading and receiving an English degree, she was more than prepared to write. She just needed to get out of her own head and start. She would make a successful writing career and get out of the coffee shop. She repeated it to herself like a mantra.

"Okay, here we go," she whispered.

I laid on the couch and he felt warm.

She groaned and smacked her forehead. "What the hell was that? I can do better."

I rested on top of him, and his chest felt warm against my cheek.

She smiled. She was doing it, really doing it. She could write a meaningful sentence! She edited a little before continuing.

I rested on top of him, his chest warm against my soft cheek. He slept soundly, and I found myself drifting off with him. It was all peaceful until he suddenly woke up. He was angry, angrier than I've ever seen him. "How could you let me fall asleep?" he shouted. He grabbed my hair and—

Sakura threw her laptop, not caring when it hit the ground. Her heart was beating faster than before, and this time there wasn't a hot man laying underneath her. She didn't know where that image had come from, but it came from her fingertips so fast and suddenly she couldn't stop until it choked her.

"Sakura?"

She wiped the tears running down her face just as Kakashi came into the room, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hand. He had a red mark on his face from one of the throw pillows on the couch, letting her know more time had passed than she thought.

"I have to go," he said. "My father wants me to attend a dinner meeting."

She nodded, and he gave her a funny look, like he knew something was wrong. She quickly smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. He walked over and kissed the top of her head, a gesture almost as intimate as laying on the couch together.

"I'll see you later," he told her.

"See you." She was afraid if she spoke any more her voice would crack.

After she heard the apartment door shut behind him, Sakura jumped up and ran to the living room, grabbing her phone. She pulled up her text messages with Ino. I could really use a drink, she typed.

Ino texted back instantly. Calling everyone. Party in 30.

Next Chapter: Party at Ino's!

What crazy shenanigans would you like to see at the party?