Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

The rain hit them as soon as they stepped out. She was already having a hard time seeing with how dark it was and now the rain was getting in her eyes.

"Here," He handed her a black helmet. Hinata put it on clumsily. It served as a heavy reminder that she would be riding on his motorcycle. She wasn't sure if riding one was safe at all, especially in rainy weather.

By the time she sat down behind him, he had the engine running. Without warning, they tore into the street. She clung to him tightly, hardly breathing from the speed and exhilaration. Sasuke hissed when they finally stopped at a red light. Meanwhile, Hinata gathered her bearings. She loosened her squeezing fingers around his waist and evened out of her breathing. His body was hard with bone and muscle, with almost no fat she could see or feel. It was a departure from her own soft body. Ino had called her voluptuous but Hinata envied girls who had trim, athletic builds.

"Hold on tight," he said.

The visor became steamy from the heat from her face. Now that she was conscious of how she was holding him, it was flustering her. She must have spaced out for a moment because she almost jerked out of her seat when he came to a stop. He looked at her over his shoulder.

Her face turned redder in embarrassment."I'm f-fine,"

She took deep breaths and thought of her elders playing shogi in their underwear until her face cooled down.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. His eyes roved over the screen and his face pulled tight with tension. "They're keeping him overnight,"

"Who?"

Sasuke parked the motorcycle before answering with a short, "Chouji,"

"W-What? What happened? Oh god. Was it," She took a deep breath. "Was it the same person who attacked before?"

"We can figure that out later," he said. "Right now, we need go."

They found the rest of the gang gathered in the emergency room. There was a middle-aged couple sitting next to Shikamaru. The man's resemblance to Chouji was a dead giveaway that he was his father. Sitting a bit away from the group was a dark-skinned girl with vibrant red hair.

Sasuke charged in, eyes darting from face to face "Any news?"

Shikamaru had a tense expression that she'd never seen on him before. "They broke his arm and leg. They got him on the head too,"

In a detached way, Hinata found it fascinating how different they looked. The poker faced group were clearly anxious and the hyper-expressive group were serious.

She felt a frown in her own face, her brows pushed together and her teeth in her lip.

Sasuke was pacing in front of the double doors. Naruto was standing near him. Shikamaru was talking quietly to Chouji's parents. The rest were sitting still. Hinata stared at the girl, who had her hands folded on her lap and her eyes on the floor.

In the somber silence, her phone rang.

"S-Sorry!" she whispered. She practically ran down the hall and almost dropped her phone while fumbling to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Where are you?"

"N-Neji-nii," She glanced at the group and looked back down at her shoes. "I – I'm at the hospital,"

"What? What happened? Are you okay? I'm coming over to pick you up so wait for me,"

"No, no, I'm fine. I-I'm here for someone else,"

She heard rustling and swearing. "Ino? What happened?"

"Not Ino-chan. Um, you don't have to pick me up,"

"It's late and it's dark. There's no way I'm letting you go home alone,"

She doubted now was a good time to ask for a ride or to pick a fight with him. "Okay then. I'm in emergency,"

"I'll be there in a bit,"

"Bye."

She sighed. She wasn't of any use here but just leaving so abruptly didn't sit well with her. Though there had been that vending machine they'd passed on the way...

"Coffee or tea?" She hovered her finger over the buttons. "Both I guess,"

Hinata returned with an armful of beverages and flashed a nervous smile all around. "I-I don't know your preferences but please take these,"

Naruto was the first to move. He gave her a small smile and took the cans from her. "Thanks, Hinata-chan,"

"I have to go home now. Please let me know how he's doing,"

"Do you have a ride?" Sasuke had stopped pacing and was looking at her seriously.

"Yes," She bowed. "Please excuse me."

They acknowledged her with distracted nods.

Neji was waiting for her outside with an umbrella over his head.

His face was downright severe. "Hinata-sama,"

"One of my friends got hurt," she said quickly. "I-I'm fine, really,"

She still got a full look-over and a harsh look. As she buckled in, he said,

"You're expected home before it gets late. You know that,"

"I know," she said. The windshield wiper worked frantically against the pouring rain.

"Hiashi-sama is not happy about your club running late everyday. Especially since a student from your school was just attacked,"

When was her father ever happy about anything she did?

"I don't remember Senju having a cooking club," he said, giving her a sideways look.

She remained silent for the rest of the ride.

lllll

Hinata had wished that of all days, it would rain today. Unfortunately, the weatherman was not on her side. Today was all bright blue skies, big white puffball clouds, and beaming sunlight.

"Did you hear? Someone was attacked last night!"

"What? Again?"

"I heard too!"

"It was a boy this time,"

"But I heard there was a girl there too,"

"Who?"

"What? What are you guys gossiping about now?"

Hinata crouched down and hung her head between her knees with a groan. Her legs were throbbing and she felt sore in muscles she never knew she even had.

"Hinata-san? Are you okay?"

Hinata looked up to see pink hair and bright green eyes. "S-Sakura-san. I'm fine. J-Just a little tired,"

Sakura gave her a friendly smile and reached her hands out to her. Hinata grabbed them hesitantly and returned her smile. "Thank you,"

"You're welcome. Have you seen Ino?"

"I think she's still in the locker room,"

Sakura's face became pinched. "Who is that pig preening for anyway?" she growled.

"Who are you calling a pig, thunder-thighs?" Ino's voice rung loud and clear from across the field.

"You wish you had my warrior thighs!" Sakura shouted back.

Hinata shuffled her shoes in the grass. The girls were either practicing on the track or taking breaks in the shade like she was. Gym was just another occasion to lament her lack of athletic prowess.

"Hinata," Ino bounced up to her casually after elbowing Sakura in the gut. "How goes the practice?"

"Awful," she said.

"You stretched right? Need some water?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Though if we lose the relay race, I-I apologize in advance," Hinata hung her head.

"At least you're practicing, unlike the rest of these bums," Sakura said, giving Ino a sound kick behind the knee. She carried on as if her friendly rival wasn't crumpled on the ground in pain. "Practice makes perfect!"

"I bet you could see that big shiny forehead from space!" Ino spat hatefully.

"Let's all take a break," Sakura produced a bag full of beverages.

They gathered around Ino, who was still recovering and bitching Sakura out. Hinata accepted a bottle of water as she made herself comfortable on the grass.

"Everyone's gossiping about it, you know," Ino said, cracking open a can of coffee. She took a sip and said, "This 'Red Demon' attacker,"

"I was there last night at the hospital when they brought the kid in. I'm not sure who it was but they kept him overnight," Sakura said, nursing a can of tea. "Apparently he got hurt in the same way that Tenten did. Broke one arm and one leg,"

"A serial attacker, huh? Why high school students though?"

"Who knows," Sakura's gaze sharpened. "But I did hear that Karui was there when that boy was attacked,"

Hinata tilted her head. "I-Isn't that Kumo's kendo captain?"

Ino nodded. "Maybe the attacker really is going after us kendo girls,"

"Talk about sucky timing," Sakura said, scowling. "Someone must really want to win the tournament,"

Hinata worried her lip. "You two should be careful,"

"I'm carrying my shinai and my perfume with me at all times from now on," Ino said. She crushed the can in her fist. "If that sucker tries to get me, he's getting an eyeful of perfume and a beat down!"

"Not a bad idea," Sakura mused. "I also heard something else,"

"Hm?"

Sakura leaned her head forward with a conniving look. "I heard that someone was riding on Sasuke-kun's precious bike!"

Hinata froze. Ino shot her a quick look before waving her hands flippantly at Sakura. "It's probably just Naruto,"

"Nu-uh! His passenger was wearing a skirt,"

"It's probably just Naruto,"

"Ino!"

"Please, Sakura. He named the thing and wipes it down with baby wipes! If anyone is getting on there, it's Naruto. Did you forget how impossible it is for a girl to even get within Sasuke-kun's line of sight? Let alone ride on his precious bike,"

Sakura sighed heavily. "Fine. But some girls are saying they spotted a girl with the Rookies," Her tone turned bitter as she said, "And apparently she's superstacked,"

Hinata gulped and glanced down at her chest. Sakura was glaring at her own chest.

Ino laughed nervously. "It's probably just Naruto!"

"Whatever. Break's over," Sakura dusted off the back of her gym shorts as she stood. "Let's hit the track,"

Ino and Hinata followed behind. Ino gave her a hard poke in the side. "Remember what I told you about his fan club? They know everything,"

"I-I realize that now," she said, self-consciously hunching her shoulders and pushing her chest back.

"Just be glad that Sakura's not in it anymore or else you'd be more scared of her than this Red Demon person,"

She watched Ino run to Sakura, bumping their hips and shoving each other as they went. Their easy camaraderie was the kind she wanted. She knew Ino was especially careful around her. She didn't want Ino to be uncomfortable around her. Hinata couldn't make up the time that Ino and Sakura had in their friendship.

Hinata hadn't gone to the academy with the rest. All Hyuugas were enrolled in the private academy. Middle school, eating alone on the bench behind the school was where Ino had found her. Ino had kept at her side until it wasn't so strange to see mousy Hinata and social butterfly Ino together.

Ino had grew up with Sakura and the others. Everyone knew everyone in Konoha. Hinata arrived on the scene well after the friendships and rivalries had been established. It had always been hard for her to make friends, given her introverted personality and shyness. She supposed Ino had taken pity; it was the same story with Sakura. Hinata couldn't believe that outgoing, athletic, intelligent class representative Sakura could have ever been anything like her but that was how the story went. Little Ino had found Sakura and in her plucky way, gotten Sakura to pull herself up by the velcro sandal straps and blossom. Hinata was still wondering when that would happen for her. It was like someone had tied her shoelaces together but she couldn't figure out why she kept stumbling.

Hinata pumped her legs harder. She always did forget to breathe when she exercised. She heard Ino's concerned voice coming from behind her. She gave a short wave and kept running.

She saw that more girls had joined the pair. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what face she was making. Hinata swept her sweaty, sticky bangs from her forehead as she walked off the track. Gym was her last class and their teacher had stepped out to indulge in her cigarette habit. Hinata didn't skip class but she couldn't find it in herself to feel guilty today.

Her walk to the flower shop was quiet and rather empty. The streets were usually full of boisterous students stopping by shops on their way home. News sure did spread fast and worked even faster.

"Welcome. Oh, Hinata-chan, it's you," Inoichi smiled as she entered the shop. "Class out early today?"

"Uh, y-yes,"

Inoichi looked owlishly at her through his round reading glasses. "What are you looking for?"

"A cactus. I-I can help myself,"

"Ah, okay then," He nodded and flipped through the newspaper. "Call if you need help,"

"Thank you,"

Hinata made her way to the cacti. There weren't very many but she was more limited by her bad gardening skills. Cacti were easy and hard for the likes of Hinata to kill. She had once heard Hanabi make a remark about her having less of a green thumb and more of death's pointer finger when it came to plants. She picked up a little cactus.

"Hello. You shall be Choux,"

The newspaper rustled. "Hm?"

She blushed. "N-Nothing! I was talking to myself,"

Inoichi laughed. "It's okay. I talk to the flowers myself. It's good for them,"

"So I've heard,"

He took Choux from her and rung it up. "You know, your mother didn't have much of a green thumb,"

"N-Neither do I," She looked up through her bangs curiously. "D-Did you know my mother?"

"I knew of her," Inoichi handed her Choux, along with a free packet of flower seeds. "Let's see...I remember her being quiet and reserved but her Home Ec projects were the stuff of nightmares,"

He shuddered at the memory.

Hinata nodded. "My uncle told me as much. Once she gave my father home made chocolates on White Day and he spent a week in a coma,"

"That sounds about right. From what Ino tells me, you lucked out on dodging that trait," The skin around his eyes crinkled in a warm smile reminiscent of his daughter's.

She shook her head. "I used to be just as bad b-but I wanted to get better at cooking and gardening. I have a lot of practice," Andvictims, she thought grimly.

"Good for you. It's nice to see young people appreciate nature,"

Hinata bowed her head. "I'll be going now,"

"Be careful out there." he said and waved her off.

Kami didn't make an appearance on Hinata's way to the base. She pouted, having bought dog treats for her. By now, she could expertly navigate the bloody trail. Once again, the cameras whirred and focused on her. She gave it a cheeky wave.

Today, Sasuke was waiting in front of the window.

"Another one?" he said, giving Choux a pointed look.

Hinata stared.

Sasuke stared back, brow arched. "What?"

"Your hair," she squeaked out. She was this close to squealing in laughter.

He ran his fingers through it and stopped at the little ponytail tied at the top of his crown. Paired with the glasses and Hinata could barely keep her composure.

He glared. "It was getting in my face,"

She pressed her fingers to her mouth. "M-Maybe you should get a haircut,"

"No,"

She walked around him bravely and placed Choux next to Creampuff. "There. Now you have a friend, Puff," She looked carefully at Sasuke. "Th-This is Choux,"

"I should kick you out for trespassing and vandalizing. With venomous snakes this time," he said under his breath and returned to his office. She followed him.

"B-By the way, you didn't pay me for my work last time," she said. She surveyed the room and stopped in shock. "W-What a mess! What happened?"

Sasuke was pacing with his phone pressed to his ears, mouth turned down at the corners. He avoided her eyes. "I got kicked out,"

"Oh," She remembered his frantic pacing last night. "How is he doing?"

"I would know that if they hadn't told me to leave for 'disruptive behavior'," he groused. He thumped his heel on the floor in agitation.

Hinata stepped over the papers scattered all over the nice carpet. "I-I guess you got a little stir-crazy,"

He glanced at her. "I guess,"

"Will anyone call to tell us when we can see Chouji-kun? I-I'd like to wait here, if that's okay. It looks like you could use help,"

He exhaled loudly and plunked down in his chair. "Fine,"

Hinata gathered the papers with varying levels of difficulty (how had that one gotten stuck in the ceiling fan?) while Sasuke went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"I didn't know you had a coffee machine," she said. She marveled at the various modern features and equipment."C-Can it make coffee drinks?"

"I don't have any of that sugary shit if that's what you were after," He scoffed and walked around her to his chair.

Hinata figured he would be a black coffee type of guy. His hands were shaking, likely a combination of anxiety, caffeine, and sleep deprivation if the rings under his eyes were any indication.

She hummed in disapproval. "M-Maybe you should drink some water and have something to eat instead,"

"I'm not paying you to babysit me," he snapped.

"You haven't paid me yet," she said, sulking.

He took a sip and gave her a dark look over his mug.

"O-Or you could spend time with Creampuff and Choux," Hinata shuffled the papers. "Sunlight and nature are good for healing mental stress,"

His glare intensified. "Seriously, Hinata, shut up,"

Pearly white eyes narrowed. "I-I was just trying to help,"

"Don't bother," he said dismissively, his focus on the computer screen.

She bit the inside of her cheek and sat down in a huff. She turned to her own work and soon forgot about the stupid boy sitting next to her.

The first pile of papers documented a transaction between one Sasuke Uchiha and what Hinata was certain was a yakuza's head. The transaction had been finished and the contract had been signed. There was a sticky note in his thin, neat handwriting telling her to make copies.

Hinata looked up at him to see that he was rapidly punching keys in his phone. He lifted his gaze to hers. "What now?"

"N-Nothing. Just – you really did work with the yakuza then,"

His brow twitched. "Why are you asking me questions that you already know the answer to?"

"W-Well, those were rumors. I gave you the benefit of the doubt,"

He laughed dryly. "You shouldn't have,"

"I don't believe everything I hear," she said, feeling defensive. "If I did, I would have wondered about you and Naruto-kun,"

"You really are trying to piss me off today," he said through gritted teeth. He rubbed his temple with another sigh. "Regardless if I confirm or deny those rumors, you're going to believe what you want to believe. You don't know if I'm lying or not either,"

She pursed her lips. "That's true. I-I still like to give people the benefit of the doubt,"

He gave her a long look. "That's naïve,"

She nodded. "I choose to be naïve then,"

The phone rung. She started and almost dropped a stack of paper. Sasuke snatched his phone off the desk. "Hello?"

There was a loud buzzing that Hinata could make out as Naruto's booming voice.

"Finally," Sasuke snapped. Like yesterday, he grabbed his things and ran out. He looked over at her impatiently. "Hustle, Hinata,"

"I have my things already." she said, stomping after him.

Sasuke barreled out of the door like a bat out of hell. She was panting by the time they got to the elevator. "It's supposed to rain today as well,"

"A little rain won't stop me,"

They stopped in front of the doors.

Hinata paused. "That - That's not a little rain,"

"A lot of rain won't stop me," Sasuke pushed the door open and reached his motorcycle. It was dry under the awning. He passed her the helmet.

"Um, no thank you," she said. She ducked her chin as she handed him the helmet back. "I-I don't think it's safe to ride in this weather,"

Sasuke stared at her, his face almost blank except for his wide-eyed disbelief.

She smoothed her skirt and said primly, "It's not safe,"

"So? We're going to the hospital anyway," he said and climbed on. "If we get smeared on the highway the ambulance can reach us easily,"

"I-I don't want to be smeared on the highway. I'll walk,"

He parted his lips, then closed them with a shake of his head. "Whatever. It's not like I want your germs on Amaterasu,"

She watched him take off without wasting another second.

"Hm. Amaterasu," Hinata stuck her hand out of the awning to catch the rain. She scowled. "And he makes fun of me for Choux and Creampuff?"

Hinata took a deep breath and sprinted out, shielding her head with her bag.

She regretted her choice immediately.

"I-I might actually die like this," she said through chattering teeth. Her blouse was soaked and completely see-through and her wet black hair made it seem like she'd crawled out of a horror movie.

Hinata bounced on her heels at the crosswalk to get her blood circulating. She was ready to worship the motorcycle when she saw it and Sasuke pulled over by the curb. It was named after a god for a reason!

The look in his eyes was a combination of "You're wasting my time," "You're an idiot," "You're getting your wet butt all over Amaterasu. Be prepared to pay for the reparations," and "You're an idiot." She might have noticed his gaze drifting below her neck if she wasn't fantasizing about drinking hot tea and curling up in her warm bed after a hot bath once she got home.

Sasuke handed her the helmet. "I'm not even going to say it,"

"P-Please don't," she whimpered and draped herself miserably over his back. She was beyond caring about propriety and could only feel his body heat through their wet clothes. She heard him snort.

"I can see your bra,"

"Y-You said you wouldn't say anything!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and faced the road. Hinata dug her nails deeper into his stomach for that. She saw his cheeks lift in a smirk. She raised her face briefly to say, "Drive slowly pl-please," before burying it in his back again. He was warm and he smelled good. She tried not to be obvious about sniffing him. She didn't know why she thought he would smell bad – maybe to match his attitude? He was otherwise meticulously tidy and groomed from the freshly cut ends of his hair to his clean, trimmed fingernails. Even the office smelled nice, like clean laundry and sunlight.

They made it to the hospital safely. Hinata was still clinging to him on their way to Chouji's room. He gave her an annoyed look but made no efforts to push her away.

"Hey nurse," he called. "Can we get a towel or something?"

The nurse blinked at the teenagers dripping a trail of water and said, "I'll be right back,"

Hinata pressed her front to him not only for warmth but also to hide her chest. She flinched at his scathing expression. "S-Sorry,"

There was a distracted quality about his face. She reevaluated his expression, which now appeared to be more strained than it did angry.

"Excuse me," The nurse returned with a towels and a hospital gown. "Here you go,"

"Th-Thank you very much," Hinata said. She held up the gown and gave Sasuke one of the towels with averted eyes. "I'm going to the bathroom,"

Hinata speed-walked away, her breathing uneven. Her face lit up bright red in embarrassment. Maybe she really was naïve to think he would object to her shoving her breasts into his arm. She had unwittingly trusted in all the rumors that Sasuke Uchiha probably reproduced asexually via meiosis and thus wouldn't react to her. So much for giving the benefit of the doubt.

The nurse had been kind enough to give her some pajama pants and a plastic bag for her wet clothes. Hinata squeezed out as much water as she could from her hair before deciding she was dry enough. When she stepped out, Sasuke was leaning against the wall with the towel on his head.

"Sorry for the wait," she said.

His face was sour as he pulled the towel down to his shoulders. "You better be done wasting time,"

He pushed off the wall and stalked down the corridor. Once again, she struggled to match his long strides.

"Hey fatty, I'm here," Sasuke slid the door open.

"I'm big-boned, shithead," Chouji said. "Tell your boyfriend to stop drawing dicks on my cast,"

Chouji's forehead was wrapped in gauze and his arm and leg were in casts. Shikamaru was playing with the shutters and Naruto was gleefully doodling on the casts. Lee was sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed.

"Stop drawing dicks on his cast, dobe," Sasuke stood by the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got whacked in the head and my limbs broken," the bedridden boy said.

Sasuke nodded. "Fair enough,"

"Will you be okay, Chouji-kun?" Hinata said, creeping towards the seat Lee was slipping out of.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as it looks. I've had worse," Chouji said. "Quit it, Naruto! My parents and the cops made it a bigger deal than it was,"

She glanced at Sasuke. "Uchiha-san seemed very worried so I thought it was bad,"

"Sasuke's just a big worrywart!" Naruto said. "He loves us a lot, that's why he gets worried,"

"Speak for yourself," Shikamaru muttered in disgust.

"Why are you wearing a hospital gown? Are you hurt, Hinata-chan?" Naruto went behind her and pouted. "Darn. I thought it would be backless,"

Sasuke balled up the towel and threw it at his face. "It's raining, you dumbass,"

Naruto looked between them. "Huh? Did you come here together? Is there something wrong with Amaterasu?"

Sasuke crossed his arms. "No. Hinata rode with me,"

The boys stopped. All of them went slack-jawed. Naruto was the first to break the awe-stricken silence. "Huh? HUH? YOU LET SOMEONE RIDE WITH YOU ON AMATERASU? ARE YOU SURE? ARE YOU OKAY? HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?"

"Three, and shut the hell up. This is why we got kicked out last time," Sasuke shoved Naruto away. He went past her without looking at her. "I'm getting a drink,"

The boys all turned to her.

"W-What is it?" she said. She patted her face. "I-Is there something wrong?"

"Really wrong," Shikamaru gave her a disturbed look.

Naruto lounged on the bed, propped up on his elbow. "Yeah, teme never lets anyone on his bike,"

"Oh, w-well, it was for practicality's sake," She fidgeted with her hair. "It was raining really hard,"

His chewed his lip. "Yeah but remember when Kiba got shot and Sasuke wouldn't give him a ride to the hospital?"

"Yeah," Chouji said. "We had to carry him there,"

"Practicality my ass," Shikamaru said.

"I don't think those two like each other very much," she mumbled, mulling over the fact that Kiba had been shot before. She checked the time and noticed how dark it had gotten outside.

"Before you leave," Chouji sat up. He reached under his pillow and pulled out a book. His face went red. "Can you give this to someone for me? At the day of the tournament?"

Hinata took the book in confusion.

"It has the flower pressed in it. I was going to give it to her the day I got it but that didn't work out as planned," he explained with a wry chuckle.

"I love pressing flowers!" she gushed. "Um, but who am I giving this to?"

"I wrote her name on there," Chouji made sure Naruto was back to doodling and Lee was still sleeping. "Uh, thanks, Hinata,"

"It's no trouble," she said with a gentle smile. "I'll make sure to give it to her. I-I hope you feel better soon."

The door slid open. Sasuke stood there holding a bottle of water. He gave her a questioning look. "You're leaving?"

"Yes,"

"Let's go,"

"You – You're not staying?"

"No. Why?"

"B-But you were so worried before,"

"Stop bringing that up,"

"Go home safe, you two," Naruto wiggled his fingers and grinned suggestively.

Sasuke glared murderously and Hinata waved goodbye. It was drizzling outside now. Hinata put on the helmet. She bit her lip anxiously. "I-Is it really that strange for me to ride with you? I-I don't mean to trouble you,"

"I don't care. Just get on,"

She climbed on and placed her hands on his shoulders. He looked over at her. "You're going to fall off and die if you don't hold on,"

"I am holding on."

He narrowed his eyes and turned back around. In the end, Hinata was back to wrapping herself around his torso for dear life. Sasuke was sure to give her a smug look.

"Y-You can drop me off here,"

"Why? Your house is another block away,"

"I-I don't want anyone to see. My family is very nosy,"

Sasuke pulled over. He gave her a strange look. "I wouldn't peg the Hyuuga clan as nosy people,"

Hinata shook her head. "Unbelievably nosy,"

He looked nostalgic, a solemn, distant look in his eyes.

She returned the helmet and gave a shy smile as she amended, "Nosy, but with good intentions,"

He searched her face before a small smile curled up a corner of his mouth. "That sounds about right."

*choux is pronounced like "shoe." It's a type of pastry filled with cream.