Prompt 10

"I thought you didn't want me"

This was it. This was the moment of truth, and Tenten wasn't sure she was ready to hear it. She didn't think she would ever be ready to hear it.

The couple were sitting together at a restaurant, the first date they had been able to go on for weeks. Neji was increasingly busy these days and he didn't seem to have enough time for his girlfriend. He barely even replied to her messages anymore, something that he had never failed to do before.

Neji opened his mouth to speak but Tenten cut in before him, needing to say the words on her lips before he ended it.

"I know you've been more busy than usual Neji, helping your uncle reform the Hyuga clan," she started, willing her voice to sound calm, unlike the erratic beating of her heart. "But you barely even call me these days. And you don't reply to my messages anymore." She wanted to reach out and hold his hands across the table, but she was afraid he would reject the offer. "If I've done something wrong, please tell me. Please let me fix any shortcomings I have before you throw in the towel. We can fix this, Neji. I know we can."

Neji blinked at her from across the table, his head cocked to one side in confusion. "What are you talking about Tenten?"

"Us!" Her words came out more forcefully than she had wanted, and Tenten leaned back to try and collect herself. She didn't want to cause a scene in front of the rest of the dinner guests. "I don't want you to give up on us yet, Neji."

"Tenten, please explain in a way that I can understand. Why would I be giving up on us?"

Did he want to make this harder? "Because you don't love me anymore! You're always too busy for me these days. I never see you. I never hear from you. If you've found someone else, just tell me. If you've just fallen out of love with me, tell me what I can do to make you love me again. I don't want to lose you Neji."

"Tenten. Tenten, look at me." He waited until her chocolate eyes met his lavender ones before he continued. "I am sorry if I have seemed distant recently. Working with my uncle has exhausted me more than I thought it would have. Even so, I should have been more attentive to your needs, so I'm sorry for that. But Tenten, I have not found someone else and I have definitely not fallen out of love with you. Is that why you have been so quiet tonight?"

Oh, how Tenten had longed to hear those words! A single sob escaped her lips, her hands covering her face as she exclaimed, "I thought you didn't want me anymore!"

Two strong hands reached out to pry her fingers away from her face, and her watery gaze fell on Neji's reassuring features. He pulled her hands towards him and planted a kiss on her knuckles, his thumbs caressing the back of her hands softly.

As Neji spoke his next words, Tenten knew that she would love him for the rest of her life.

This prompt and the next one are joined. Part two to this story is coming soon.

If you haven't checked out my three part Nejiten AU, it's completed now so please check it out. "Somebody Out There" is it's title.