Chapter 2: Now you know too

A/N: In Please check whether you have read the latest version of Chapter 1 before proceeding with Chapter 2. ;D notified people about the new chapter/ showed it under fresh stories, before it was actually ready for submission because of an error in judgement on my part. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for supporting my story and, as always, special thanks go out to my kind beta, Sommernacht.

Previously: In her confused state, Hinata failed to feel hot tears going down her cheeks and her thoughts slowly drifting back to that incident six months ago. Her breathing got laboured. She didn't even notice the door opening and the stranger positioning himself before her, trying to grab her attention, a frown evident on his otherwise smooth face.

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Hinata's mind was clouded by memories of that night, of him and how she had pleaded with him to stop. It never crossed her mind that he of all people wouldn't. They had been close friends for years. The humiliation she had felt was beyond words, so to mend that she tried to convince herself she had wanted it too. It only returned back tenfold once she realised she hadn't, but that hadn't stopped him. She never spoke out. After all, they wouldn't believe her, because he was such a nice guy. She had known his good sides better than anyone. She had only ever opened up to Sakura.

The phantom feeling of him pressing her against that rough outside wall of Chōji's house just beyond the corner from where everyone was sitting came back overwhelmingly, accompanied by her terror of being seen or heard which had stilled her. She was crying, asking him to stop, softly at first, then louder - and eventually she stopped, giving in, keeping quiet, not moving a muscle, just spacing out. Someone had seen them; they must have assumed it was consensual. After all, she didn't yell or kick or fight. Her friends - they were only a couple of metres away after all, but they were his friends as well. Her friends would have shrugged it off, wouldn't they? Ashamed that she couldn't stand up or fight him, she tried to lie to herself and convince herself that she wanted it as well. There was no problem with that, right?

Seeing him again was painful, she felt used and his amused eyes looking her way set her gut on fire; she always felt like wanting to be buried alive, to never meet her friend's group again if he would be there.

It lasted about two months until she realized that she had been raped; she had said no so many times, pushed him gently away and he had, yes, disregarded that. It was painful to tear through the lies she had fed herself every day. He had betrayed everything they'd been through together, she bitterly thought. She opened up to Sakura one night, crying into her friend's embrace. She still remembered her shocked eyes which widened in disbelief for a second, shattering Hinata's heart. That look though was swallowed by an understanding gaze the next second and the softness of her green eyes and the warmth of her embrace is all she remembered. The medicine student made sure to cut him out of her life and to make sure he never got near Hinata again for that matter.

And then-

There was a warm shoulder pressed against her and she flinched. She looked to her right and saw the stranger seating himself on his bed next to her, his white neck outstretched, eyes pointed at the ceiling, seeming wide-awake despite the early morning hour and she had to cringe inwardly. Oh God, he was already done with his shower? How was she still only in her lingerie? And she was crying on top of that.

"Tea?"

"I-I've imposed enough on you as is." As if he hadn't heard her answer, he got up to fill the kettle with tap water.

He then took his desk chair and placed it next to the bed, squatting on it. His elbows rested on his knees, one of his arms was outstretched lazily, whilst the other moved to support his chin. He wore a navy cotton T-Shirt and white shorts. His black gaze held hers until she dropped her own back to her hands. She wrapped herself tightly in his sheets in order to cover herself up and then resumed eye contact.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't, she really didn't. For some reason though, she felt like being honest with him; maybe just mental exhaustion after reliving moments of that incident. She shook her head, signalling she didn't want to press the matter but kept it short and honest.

"I was raped."

Her words smacked Sasuke. He felt like somebody had drenched him in cold water and he immediately went back to analyse his behaviour that night. He hadn't been particularly gentle with her at the party. He had seen her as an attractive woman and wanted to give it a shot and land himself a girl for the night. No effort had been made on his part to hide the fact that he wanted her, well, just for sex. This girl had been raped.

He was at a loss for words. What do you say to someone like that? 'I'm sorry? Yeah, right.

"Does anyone know?" he heard his treacherous mouth ask. He winced at his insensitiveness. "I want to be honest, I don't know what to say. I can listen though," he managed to get out feeling all fidgety.

As the water boiler stopped, he got up and chose two pottery mugs from the shelf. They were his favourite objects in his dorm room. It was better, he concluded, if he were to show support without opening his damned mouth again and making her uncomfortable by being an idiot. He hoped she'd understand – no, he was certain she would. They had communicated telepathically the whole night somehow. He placed two bags of cheap chamomile tea in both beautifully crafted cups; it was what he had when he was sick. His mother used to make him some; probably a much better one, but this would do. He smiled fondly at that memory. Sasuke didn't wait for the water to cool off a bit, pouring it directly over the two sorry excuses for teabags. He hoped she wasn't a tea snob. Placing both ceramic objects on cork coasters, he handed her the cup he held dearest.

Hinata thought the cup was hot like Sakura's embrace and beautiful at that. It must be precious to him. So she made sure to hold it with utmost care. She smiled shyly to show her gratitude.

"Yes, I did tell my best friend. It happened six months ago," she told him dryly, with a detachment which surprised Sasuke, but he didn't dare show it on his face. Hinata blew gracefully over the surface of the water and played with the teabag. "I told her two months later. It was the afterparty of the prom. I knew him. Well."

Sasuke tried to soften his otherwise stoic face, not too much though, he didn't want to grimace at the poor woman. Her eyes were ridden by an emotion Sasuke couldn't quite point out; somewhere between fondness which he supposed she felt towards the said guy before the incident, hurt and detachment. Her eyes were expressive, he noted.

"Hey, Sasuuuukeeee, temeeee!" a loud, obnoxious voice broke through. "Why are you home so early? Did you fail to land a chick? Told ya' as much!"

Sasuke was pissed. But he remembered it was Naruto, so he let it slide, just this once. He didn't even have time to erase the annoyance on his face, when a certain blonde entered his room, obviously inebriated, leaning against the doorframe. He whistled at the sight of female clothing scattered on the floor, but gaped in shock at seeing none other than Hinata covered in his sheets, drinking from… Was that the bastard's favourite cup? Damn it, Naruto wasn't even allowed to touch that! Well, he guessed the sex had been just that good and started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Sasuke.

The Uchiha didn't fail to see the shock in Hinata's eyes when seeing him, the way she filled her lungs with air and fixed him with her eyes. The Uzumaki finally grinned at her brightly and greeted her warmly.

"Hinata-chaaan, it's been a while!"

Looking between both men in a panicked frenzy, understanding dawned on Hinata. They were… Roommates. She reached for her clothes and darted towards the walk-in closet of the Uchiha, still wrapped in his blanket. Getting dressed in record time - was her top inside-out? - she bowed politely to both of them, stammered some excuse and went for the door. Sasuke followed her outside, both stopping in front of his door, where he looked at her with meaning. He wouldn't tell Naruto. She exhaled and smiled at him genuinely. Sasuke felt warmth springing from his chest at the sight and tried to smile subtly back.

"I can walk you home."

"I l-live just across the intersection," she said, trying to explain the layout of their two dorms clumsily with her hands. Sasuke didn't understand, but nodded. To his offer, she shook her head violently. His eyebrows furrowed but he assumed she needed some time alone. She raised her right hand in a greeting gesture. He returned the greeting, looking once more in her direction. He then returned inside.

"You know her?" he rolled out before thinking about it. Honestly, what happened to him tonight, he had no fucking filter.

Naruto smiled even wider and nodded. "Hinata-chan is amazing! She's had a crush on me ever since primary school. She confessed in high school, but I've been unable to return her feelings. I had always liked her best friend like that." He rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture Sasuke was so familiar with. "Imagine her mortification for me to see her here, teme!"

Sasuke was at a loss of words. Fuck it, she was smitten with his best friend?!

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To be continued…