A/N: Thank you so much to those who waited patiently for this update. I really appreciate all the support and it is great to know that you guys are enjoying this fic! I am grateful for everyone sticking through with this! It really motivates me!
And without further ado, Chapter six!
Six o' clock he found himself standing by her door. Sakura's dorm. Bringing his closed fist to the dark wood of the door before him, Sasuke knocked and awaited her response. Clearly he couldn't wait until tomorrow. This had to be done now.
Sakura glanced down at her wrist watch before wiping her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. Ino was early. They were only supposed to be meeting at seven so that they could have a moment to themselves to, as the blonde had put it, chat and comfort one another. So it surprised her that her friend would show up now. Of course, Sakura wanted to spend time with Ino, but her heart was just too heavy to be with company at that current moment. She was still mourning over what had happened, and although Sakura was grateful for all Ino's support, she couldn't bring herself to smile about the early visit. She was simply unprepared- she had been crying and wiping at her eyes all the while trying to complete her work that she had missed.
Setting her reading task aside and climbing off her bed, she made her way over to the door.
Come to think of it, however, she hadn't been getting much work done at all, anyway. Her mind was still occupied with other things and she was beginning to get a headache. Maybe spending some time with friends was in fact, a good idea. She missed Ino and her other friends, who had been extremely kind to her as well. She did not take it for granted that Hinata, Tenten and Temari were there for her, especially Ino, and Sakura was extremely thankful for their comforts and love.
She could work later. Tonight, however, she would accept that Ino had wanted to come. Sakura knew that her friend just wanted to check up on her, and she appreciated that.
Shaking her head, Sakura realised that she couldn't have cared less about her appearance at that point. Ino was her best friend- she wouldn't care if Sakura looked like a mess.
She paused for a moment before opening the door. Even though she didn't exactly feel like being in the company of another at that particular moment, she would try her best to appreciate what her best friend was doing for her.
The pinkette tentatively took hold of the doorknob and pulled the door open. But standing on the other side was definitely not Ino. It was Sasuke.
She couldn't hide her initial look of shock. Uchiha Sasuke was standing outside her dorm. This was the last thing she would ever have believed was going to happen.
"Here. This is the Calculus assignment you didn't get and this is the work you missed yesterday," Sasuke said, interrupting her thoughts. He held out the pack of papers to her, seeming to grow impatient when she still had not moved to take them.
Sakura noticed how Sasuke clenched his fist at his side, before deciding to step around her and inside her room, only to drop the papers on her desk. He appeared beside her once more, giving her a questioning look.
"Hi," the pinkette gave a shaky greeting after realising that she hadn't said anything yet. She looked into his dark orbs, feeling oddly happy that he had come to drop off her work, but also confused as to how he knew where her dorm room was. They were silent for a moment and as Sakura got over her initial shock, she looked around her to the papers on her desk, and as she turned to thank him, Sasuke caught her eye. It seemed as though he had been staring, and the pinkette quickly pulled her gaze away as she felt her face heat up. She mentally swore- was he still looking at her? And why was she getting flustered?! She never got flustered!
Sakura yelped in surprise when Sasuke took hold of her wrist. His grasp was warm and sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.
"Come on," he muttered, barely audible and Sakura couldn't help but move her feet to follow. She was not sure what was going on, and wasn't sure where she was being taken. Her mind conjured up images of him taking her to his dorm and- wait! Why was she thinking this?! She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. She blamed it on the headache. Or on the fact that she had been so sad that now her mind was thinking of ways to cheer her up.
However, Sasuke pulled her past all the other rooms and soon they were outside the building, but Sakura wasn't even paying attention to where she was being dragged to anymore. All she could think of was how her hand felt in his. Sakura was acutely aware of the fact that this was the first that they had ever touched one another. The first time she felt his skin on her own. She felt her heart jump at the thought and couldn't stop the swell of delight that washed over her. She didn't care where they were going and even though she hadn't felt like company before, she was happy to be in his.
She suddenly realised, however, that she wasn't even ready for an outing! All she was wearing was a tank top and a pair of tights- and quite frankly, she was sure her hair was a mess and her eyes were puffy from all the crying. But she didn't say anything or protest. All she could focus on was calming her erratically beating heart.
She was only vaguely surprised when they made their way over to what she assumed was Sasuke's car. Wordlessly, he held the door open for her and with her wrist still within his tight hold, he gently helped her to get into the car. Hesitantly, Sakura noticed, the Uchiha released his hold on her. It seemed as though he was suddenly afraid that she would run away when he let go.
It was not long before the sleek car took to the road, Sasuke's eyes trained on the now-darkening scene before him and Sakura took this moment to glance over at him with a curious gaze.
His hand on the steering wheel was tight and Sakura felt the sudden urge to run her own fingers across his knuckles, if only to let him know that he could relax. She briefly wondered where her sudden desire to initiate contact had come from, but dismissed the pressing question in favour of trying to wonder why Sasuke seemed so anxious. She wasn't sure what could be making him so nervous. Maybe it was the tense atmosphere around them or maybe it was because of this entire awkward- but sweet- turn of events. Maybe he had actually been nervous about going to her dorm or nervous about what to do next. Sakura almost smiled to herself. It was strange to imagine Sasuke nervous- with sweaty palms and the nervous looking around- and she found that she could not exactly picture it. He was so uptight, so regal, so perfect, so… Sasuke. With that in mind, she concluded that it could not possibly be nerves. She could only pin it to frustration. Frustration for what, she did not know… his mind was clearly elsewhere and she briefly contemplated asking him about his current thoughts. But she decided against it and chose to instead, take this time to simply think to herself.
This may have turned out to be a bad idea in itself as it left her thinking about her sudden loss and she discreetly wiped her eyes to rid them of the newly-shed tears that had betrayed her. She could not break down in front of him. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure why she didn't want him to see her reduced to tears. It was no secret- especially to the Uchiha- that she had been crying excessively. Sakura figured that her reasoning was because Sasuke was clearly going out of his way to do something special for her, she couldn't let him see that she was in despair. She wanted time with him; no matter how difficult that was in her current state of mourning.
Looking out the window at the darkening streets and lit up homes, she began to think more about the man beside her. She recalled that she and Sasuke had last spoken a few days before. For some reason that she couldn't care to recall, they'd suddenly stopped speaking. She did not remember what had happened but she remembered how she felt- that whatever had happened between the two of them was over. To be quite honest, she still wasn't sure what was happening between them. They definitely were no longer dating, but were they even friends? And what reason did the Uchiha have to suddenly whisk her away out on an evening adventure?
Sakura glanced at the man in question. He either didn't notice or he pretended not to. She wasn't sure which one it was. It was strange that she found herself in this situation. Sasuke was taking her somewhere- where, she didn't know- and now it was just the two of them. Alone. Gosh, that fluttering feeling just wouldn't leave!
They found themselves parked at the entrance to a huge expanse of grass. It seemed to be a sports field or a form of recreational ground that was bathed in a beautiful sunset. There was a small forest behind it- which, surprisingly, did not look creepy, only beautiful- and she wondered how she had never noticed this place before. She immediately felt at ease, being unable to tear her gaze away from the scene before her.
Sakura was shocked by an abrupt movement from Sasuke. Suddenly he was all around her. She could smell just him. Something warm brushed against her cheek, and by the time her senses cleared up from his scent, his coat was being pulled over her shoulders.
She caught his eye with a confused expression, noticing how his deep orbs were void of emotion. And before she could ask him why he had given her his coat, he began to speak, "you look cold." His voice was husky and deep. Sakura's eyelids fluttered closed for a brief moment, feeling a sudden chill go down her spine, though she doubted it was from the cold. The air around them was not biting and Sakura had not paid any thought to the weather. She wasn't really cold, so why had he…?
"Thanks," she breathed, immediately regretting how airy her voice sounded. His hands still held the collar of the coat in place, hovering just under her chin, so close that she could feel the warmth coming off them. She then took note of how cold her own fingers were.
Sakura looked into Sasuke's eyes and was surprised at how close he was. He was invading her senses- sight, touch, scent- and all she could do was close her eyes in a weak attempt to regain control over her emotions. But when she reopened them a split second later, his eyes quickly shifted back up to meet hers and after a moment he had his hands back in his pockets and was staring out over the field.
Sakura averted her gave to a nearby tree so as to distract her mind from thoughts about him. About Sasuke. She nervously brushed a stray piece of hair away from her eyes. The tree really is beautiful in this light, Sakura thought then subconsciously added, almost as beautiful as the man standing beside me. She inwardly kicked herself at this thought. She was being silly.
"This is where I come to think."
She was surprised to hear his voice, but nodded, nonetheless. It was beautiful and she couldn't stop the happiness she felt knowing that he had just told her something as personal as this. Her head swam pleasantly as she mused over the thought that he had taken her to his special place. It was like an invitation to get to know him better. Sakura had always had the thought that she wanted to discover who he really was, and yet, he was just like anyone else who had their own place where they could think and be themselves. This is where Sasuke was at his most vulnerable. This place was a haven for him, and Sakura smiled at the thought that he was sharing it with her.
She understood why he had gotten so upset back when they had their first date. He thought she was renting him just for the fun of it. And in truth, even though it was a dare put in place by Ino, Sakura never thought of it as a joke. It was true that she had never liked Sasuke like how all the other girls in her college did, but Sakura did find herself wanting to be with him. Ino's dare was a challenge for Sakura- a challenge that she wanted to give a try because no matter how much she denied it, there was something about the Uchiha that attracted her. She felt that she, Haruno Sakura, understood Sasuke in a sense. She felt as though she had more insight as to whom he really was. Women who tried to get close to him because of his looks or his last name were always shoved to the side. What Sasuke wanted was someone who could look past all that. Someone who didn't care how he looked or care about his social status.
And Sakura understood this. All she wanted was for someone to love the real her. She didn't want somebody to love her simply because of her body or class. So in a sense, she felt she understood the Uchiha.
She also guessed that he saw her as just another girl, another person in his Calculus class. But deep down, the pinkette didn't want that.
Sakura had always wondered about the mystery that was Uchiha Sasuke. From that first date, she wanted to get to know the real Sasuke. She wanted to be able to understand him better. Why did he distance himself from most and why did he choose to push those that do care for him away?
It started out as her wishing to simply get to know the true him. Ino's dare was a way for Sakura to explore Sasuke Uchiha. It was strange. She and Sasuke had never spoken before their date. Now that one meeting had changed so many things between the two of them. And now. Sakura almost laughed at her foolishness. Being here with him, so close to him, a small realisation sparked in her. She had wondered after that first date if there would ever be any more. And although she knew the answer, she hadn't wanted to accept that her only way of getting to know him was lost. However, now she knew that that was not why she was upset. She was saddened because she knew that she would have no other reason to get close to him, to talk to him.
In truth, being here with him made her understand the painful truth- that she no longer just wanted to get to know the true him. She didn't just want to see the side of him that he never showed to anyone else, she wanted him to see the side of her that she didn't show anybody else too. She wanted a special bond with him that she had had never experienced with anyone else.
The cold, harsh Uchiha had somehow captured her heart and Sakura could barely stand the sadness she felt. She didn't just want to get to know him. She wanted to be closer to him. Not just because she was dared to- but because she wanted Sasuke…
She passed a quick glance over at him. The light highlighted his face in all the right places, making her take note of his strong features. He really was beautiful and Sakura couldn't stop the blush that painted her cheeks at the thought. She was acting like his fangirls- they only ever saw his beauty. She shook herself from the thought. Why was it so difficult to think about something other than him? Maybe because he's right beside you? She told herself, even though Sakura knew that that was just wishful thinking. Her heart only ached after all when she acknowledged the real reason as to why he was constantly on her mind. She was falling for Uchiha Sasuke.
She wondered what he was thinking. He was being his usual quiet self, and although the silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable in the least, the pinkette was beginning to grow restless. She drew a shaky breath as she thought of a way to perhaps start a conversation with him, which he either did not notice or chose to ignore. Sakura smiled to herself. It was amazing to think about how people feel better when in another person's company. Thinking about it, she had been shocked when she had opened her door to the dark-haired man instead of Ino. And now here they were and the pinkette suddenly realised how at ease she felt. Besides the fact that she felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach every so often or when she felt her heart rate speed up at his voice, she was calmer. She wasn't feeling as emotional as she had felt earlier. Being in his company had aided in relaxing her and she couldn't figure out why. Being around other people helped you to forget your own troubles and human contact is what sometimes brings people completely out of the darkness of sadness. Sakura acknowledged this and greatly began to appreciate what Sasuke had done for her in her time of need, even though it was completely unexpected of him.
Wait, Sakura thought. This whole thing was unexpected of him. Since when would Sasuke take her away from everything in an obvious attempt to cheer her up? Because the last time she and Sasuke spoke, he made it very clear that he wasn't interested- in dating or being involved with her in any way. So why was he doing this?
Sakura ran her hand through her hair in a frustrated attempt to make sense of his sudden act of kindness. She appreciated it, yes, but why!? Why did he have to toy with her emotions like this? Why had he made it so blatantly clear that she was just another classmate and yet take her somewhere in an attempt to calm her? Did he suddenly want to become friends? In which direction was their relationship suddenly headed anyway?
The pinkette shook her head. This was ridiculous. One minute he was being stoic and distant and the next he was being nice and playing the hero. Who was Uchiha Sasuke, really, and what did he actually want? Sakura was done being confused and walking blindly into this friendship or relationship or whatever he wanted to call it!
"Alright," Sakura began, "I'm ready to go back now. Thanks for… this." And with that she headed back to his car, trying to ignore the confused expression he allowed on his face at her clipped tone. Wordlessly, he followed her and unlocked the vehicle, even having the decency to attempt to open her door first to let her in. She had beat him to it, however, having already opened the door herself and sat down by the time he was still five paces away from her. She cheered triumphantly to herself. Nice try, Uchiha!
The ride back was awkward to say the least. They sat in a suffocating silence, Sasuke glancing at her out of the corner of his eye every so often. Sakura was just glad when it was over and was a little disappointed to find out that some of her anger and frustration had dissipated. Yes, she was still confused and angry, but her exhaustion and massive headache wouldn't allow her to further dwell on her previous emotions. All she needed now was a good night's rest.
And so with that, as Sasuke walked her quietly back to her dorm, Sakura could barely stop herself from dashing on ahead just to avoid any further awkward tension. Maybe she had acted a little brashly. Sasuke perhaps had just wanted to mend their relationship a little by making his bold attempt to cheer her up, but she could not care at that moment.
They reached her dorm not a moment too soon and it took every ounce of her being not to just close the door and rush back to bed. She was exhausted! "Thank you, Sasuke. Goodnight," she bowed and headed into her dorm before closing the door.
As the pinkette made her way to her bathroom she passed the clock on the wall and noted that it was late. Where had the time gone? She had completely forgotten about Ino, and sighed, hoping that the blonde wasn't out looking for her. She'd send her a message before bed to let her know that she had just needed some time alone. She would tell her friend the full story the following day, but Sakura wasn't in the mood to think about it now.
She flipped the switch for the bathroom light, illuminating the small, tiled room in a bright white glow. Turning her attention toward the mirror, Sakura got a small surprise when she saw her reflection. Besides the fact that her cheeks were still stained pink from crying, what caught most of her attention was the fact that she was still wearing Sasuke's coat!
Did he know that she still had it? (Because nothing went past Uchiha Sasuke.) And if he did, why hadn't he taken it back? Sakura suddenly felt very embarrassed that she hadn't even noticed that she still had it. Was her mind so distracted that she hadn't even remembered to give his coat back to him?
Touching the soft fabric of the coat, Sakura gave herself a small smile in the mirror. Maybe Sasuke really was just trying to be a real friend to her. Maybe, just maybe he was trying to make things better for her. To help her to understand that he was there for her and that regardless of whatever was going on between them, he just wanted her know that he would help her if she ever needed it.
Sakura quickly removed the coat from around her shoulders and missed the warmth that left her body. She didn't pass by the opportunity to bring it closer to her face. It was so warm and it smelt just like him, bringing back thoughts about Sasuke.
Making her way over to the door, Sakura touched the doorknob to open it but stopped herself, realising that Sasuke would probably be in his dorm by now. She opened the door anyway and passed a quick glance down both sides of the passage. She couldn't see him and Sakura closed the door. She didn't think it was right to go and bother Sasuke now. She remembered his dorm room was in another building, anyway. She reasoned that he had probably known that she still had the item on and he would have asked for it back if he really cared. That being said, he probably wouldn't mind if she only gave it back to him the next day.
Sighing, Sakura hung the coat up on a nearby hook before she went to the bathroom to prepare herself for bed. She was grateful that she hadn't worn any makeup besides a light waterproof mascara, otherwise she would have looked a mess. After a giving her face a quick wash and after brushing her teeth, the pinkette deemed herself ready for bed, not forgetting to type a quick message to Ino.
The thick duvet brought comfort to Sakura and she was sure she would fall asleep in no time; her tired eyes already feeling heavy. But Sakura's mind could not help but replay the day's events. The crying, the warm coat and how her had tears stopped, and the drive back. She accounted everything that had happened, but her mind still would not let her think about anything else.
He gave her his coat. It replayed over in her mind again and again before Sakura began to realise something. After he gave it to her, she had noticed that he was closer to her. So much closer that she remembered that she could feel his warmth not only on her cheek but rather her whole body. And when she looked into those eyes of his, those deep eyes, he had been searching hers and at the time, it was all Sakura could do to not let her fantasies run away with her. But he had held onto the coat. Why hadn't he moved away sooner? And Sakura could just remember the fast beating of her heart and her initial confusion at his sudden boldness. When she had opened her eyes, she remembered seeing his quickly return to hers and she began to wonder where he had previously been looking? Could he have been looking at her lips? She just could not let the memory go, and now, thinking back on it, she couldn't shake the feeling that-
Sakura shot up in her bed, "Was he going to kiss me!?"
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter and just to let you all know; I'm really excited to get the next one posted! Thank you so much to all those who reviewed and followed and favourited! You truly are my inspiration!
I apologise for any spelling and grammatical errors. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and hopefully we'll get some more talk in the next one!
See you all soon! ❤