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Chapter 3: A Date?


Sakura's POV

As expected, Sasuke didn't attend school on Tuesday. He told me that it was his last day filming the commercial he had been working on and it would end pretty late. I sighed as I thought of his state yesterday.

"He is not even fully recovered and yet he is working so hard."

I felt like I had been discovering different sides of Sasuke I had never noticed before. He was far more determined and responsible than I thought he was.

During lunch, I was sitting alone on one of the benches in the garden and decided to send a message to Sasuke on WhatsApp. Judging from my observations of him for the past days, I was sure he would continue working even though he was about to collapse.

And that thought made me more worried than I thought I would.


Sakura: How are you feeling today?


I didn't expect Sasuke to reply instantly since he was definitely busy. I closed my eyes and was feeling the soft breeze touching my skin when Ino suddenly appeared before me.

"What's in your mind?"

I was startled and jumped a little. Ino laughed at my reaction as she sat down next to me.

"So, what's on your mind?" Ino repeated her question after she calmed down from laughing so much.

"Nothing much." That was a lie, of course. I had been feeling worried since I left Sasuke's apartment yesterday. When I saw how weak he was, I couldn't stop myself from thinking that he might really faint during work. If only he wasn't so stubborn, he could have rested instead of studying yesterday.

"You're never good at lying, Sakura." Ino poked my cheek and was narrowing her eyes at me.

I was about to assure Ino I wasn't lying, which was in fact another lie, when a notification appeared in my phone.

I checked my phone and realized it was Sasuke. He had replied my message with a picture of his current workplace. Apparently, he was filming the commercial at an open field and I knew everyone was busy just by looking at the picture that was sent to me. There were cameras here and there and staffs looked like they were discussing important issues.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling when I read the caption he wrote along with the picture.

"I'm still alive."

My smile must have triggered Ino's curiosity because she tried to take a peek at my phone. I quickly put my phone back into my pocket and mentally reminded myself to reply Sasuke later.

"You're hiding something." Ino was eyeing suspiciously at me. Her narrowed eyes looked as if they could see through me and I instinctively looked away.

"I am not." I answered in what I assumed was a confident tone, which I knew was a huge failure.

Ino was silent as she continued glaring at me. I eventually gave in when Ino just wouldn't stop doing that. She knew how uncomfortable I felt whenever she looked at me that way.

"It's just Sasuke."

I looked away from Ino's eyes as I answered. I mentally scolded my stupidity for giving Ino the chance to tease me to infinite extends.

"I see. 'Just' Sasuke."

I rolled my eyes when I heard how Ino emphasized on the word 'just'. It was her way to force me to tell her more details. And no matter how much I hated to admit it, Ino had always been good when it came to forcing me to tell the truth.

"There's nothing between us, Ino."

"If that is true, why did you hide the truth from me in the first place?"

"It's because I don't want you to start teasing me."

"Why are you so afraid of me teasing you if there isn't anything between you and Sasuke? You know I wouldn't tease you if there is indeed nothing going on."

I let out a sigh in defeat because I really didn't know what to say. Knowing that I had run out of words to defend myself, Ino smirked and put her arms around my shoulder.

"You don't have to be shy, Sakura. You can tell me anything! I won't tell anyone."

Ino was known to be a blabbermouth but I knew I could trust her to keep her mouth shut regarding my private life.

"I honestly don't know what is going on, Ino."

And that was the truth. I must admit I was feeling something different for Sasuke but I wasn't sure what sort of feeling it was. The feeling was foreign and I had no idea on how to deal with it.

Ino must have noticed my confused state and I appreciated it when she chose to drop the topic for now. She stood up from the bench and had her hands on her hips as she spoke to me.

"Just go with the flow and you'll soon understand what is going on."

Ino had a warm smile on her face, which was something she rarely showed. She had always been playful and was barely serious most of the time. But whenever she took me seriously and listened to me, I couldn't help it but feel very touched.

I smiled back at her and thanked her before returning to the classroom together.

When we were already in the classroom, there was still time left before lessons would resume. I used the spare time to check my WhatsApp. I was quite surprised to see that Sasuke had sent another message.


Sasuke: You read my message and yet you didn't reply.

Sakura: Sorry, I was talking to Ino earlier. You seem to be working hard right now.

Sasuke: Kind of. I'm currently on my way back to my agency.

Sakura: Have you eaten?

Sasuke: A bit.

Sakura: You're still recovering! You should at least eat properly!

Sasuke: I didn't have time. And I'll be working on my album until late after this.

Sakura: You're unbelievable!

Sasuke: Got to go now. Bye.


I groaned in frustration as I placed my phone back into my pocket.

"Looks like I have to pay that workaholic a visit."


Sasuke's POV

I sighed as I left the room where I had spent several hours recording my new album. It was already 4 PM and saying that I was tired was an understatement. I needed some fresh air and decided to buy a drink from the lobby's vending machine.

When I reached the lobby, something pink caught my attention. I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Sakura?"

It was indeed Sakura standing in front of the receptionist's desk. She turned around when I called out her name and I was still startled to see her there.

"What are you doing here?"

I walked over to her and realized she must have just got off from school. She was still wearing her school uniform and was carrying a plastic bag in her hand.

"When I heard you weren't eating right, I just had to come fix that. Or else my effort for taking care of you yesterday would be wasted."

I could sense that Sakura was trying to sound annoyed and stern, but the pink shade on her cheeks didn't help her achieve that. I smiled at her as I led her to the room I usually used during my breaks.

I ignored the receptionist's curious stares and walked away.

When we arrived inside the room, Sakura placed the plastic bag on the table and sat down on one of the chairs nearby.

"I've went through all the trouble to bring you food so you better eat."

I sat on the chair across Sakura and watched her taking out the contents of the bag. She had brought me spaghetti, a bottle of orange juice and a slice of my favourite red velvet cake.

At that moment, I was rather speechless. Sakura had been nice to me lately by agreeing to help me review and she even took care of me when I was feeling unwell. But going all the way to bringing food for me when I was working was something I really did not expect.

I was happy enough to have received a message from her earlier, asking about my wellbeing. And now I was beyond happy.

I knew I would appear ridiculous if I would be smiling to myself too much so I chose to restrain myself.

"Thanks a lot, Sakura."

It amused me to see Sakura tensing up when I thanked her before digging in. If she continued acting that way, I might start to think she had feelings for me.

It wasn't like I dislike the idea of her having feelings for me though.

Dismissing that thought for the time being, I started to think of how I should repay Sakura for all she had been doing for me.

"Are you free this Saturday?"

"I guess so. You want to review together on Saturday?"

"I was going to ask if you want to go out with me on Saturday."

When I saw Sakura's ears turning bright red, I had to quickly explain myself.

"It's to repay you for all the trouble I caused you. And it is a good idea to relax a little before the midterms start."

"I see." Sakura was still avoiding any eye contacts with me as she spoke. "You don't have work this weekend?"

"I'm done filming the commercial just now and I should be done with recording by this Friday. I'm free this weekend and the whole next week."

"That means you can attend the midterms without special arrangements then?"

"Fortunately, yes."

Silence was on the atmosphere afterwards and I stared at Sakura, who was still looking away. I was fully aware she had not given me an answer to my question earlier.

"Well?"

Sakura jumped a little in her seat and turned to look at me.

"What?"

I rolled my eyes at her and sighed. I felt a little bit embarrassed having to ask her once again.

"Do you want to go out with me on Saturday?"

I knew Sakura heard me clearly because her face was starting to blush and it was a rather interesting sight to witness. I waited patiently for her to answer me as I watched her ears burning up.

"Sure."

It was a soft answer but it was clear enough. I took the cold bottle of orange juice and placed it against Sakura's flushed face.

"What was that for?!" Sakura exclaimed at the sudden coldness on her burning skin and was giving me murderous glares.

"You looked like you need to cool down and I was just helping out." I smirked as I noticed Sakura's glares intensifying.

"Thank you." Sakura's signature sarcastic tone amused me more than usual.

With that, I regained most of the energy I would need to survive the rest of the day.


Sakura's POV

Sasuke had just finished his food when there was a sudden knock on the door. When the door opened, I was rather surprised to see who it was.

"It's you, Nii-san."

It was no other than Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha. I had known him for a long time but we never exactly talked. He was a good looking guy but considerably intimidating.

He smiled at me when I greeted him and I couldn't help but thought of how handsome he was. He had that charming mature aura around him, after all.

"What a great timing, Sakura. I actually needed to talk to you about something."

Even Sasuke was surprised to have heard that from Itachi. I had no idea what Itachi needed from me since we never exactly interacted much.

"When I met Sasuke at school yesterday, I found out he wasn't feeling well. I asked him to go home and rest but he refused. When I called him last night to check on him, he told me you took care of him. My parents are very grateful and they want to thank you personally for the troubles Sasuke had been causing you."

I stood up from my seat and bowed politely, "It's alright! Helping out a friend in need is a natural thing to do, after all."

It was the first time I referred Sasuke as my friend and honestly it felt kind of unusual. Perhaps I was too used to seeing him as an enemy instead of a friend.

"But we would still want to thank you. It would be great if you could join us for dinner at our house on Friday. My parents would be happy if you could make it."

It had been a while since the last time I went to Sasuke's house. His parents were always very friendly and I would feel very welcomed. There was definitely no harm in joining them for dinner. It wasn't like I wasn't familiar with Sasuke's family too.

"I'll pick you up at your house after I'm done with my work here on Friday." Sasuke said that and I nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

Itachi smiled when I accepted the dinner invitation. He glanced over at Sasuke and looked at him with concern.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Sasuke answered as he tried to avoid Itachi's hand when he reached out to check his younger brother's temperature.

I found it rather adorable to see Sasuke being embarrassed when his brother was showing concern. I knew Sasuke would probably hate it if he found out what was on my mind. The word 'adorable' didn't exactly fit his image, after all.

"Glad you're feeling better. I'm just here to check on you. I need to get going now." Itachi turned to smile at me as he walked towards the door. "I'll see you on Friday, Sakura."

I bowed politely and bid goodbye to Itachi, who closed the door behind him when he left.

I slumped onto the chair when it was just Sasuke and I inside the room.

Even after knowing Itachi for a long time, I was never used to that scary aura of his. Perhaps it was because I never got to know him personally.

"Have anyone ever told you how intimidating your older brother looks?"

I muttered softly but Sasuke caught what I was saying.

"Our mother said that."

"Seriously?" I laughed and the earlier tension was soon forgotten. I stood up from my seat and decided to leave. It was getting late and Sasuke still had things to attend to.

"I'll get going now. Work hard but make sure not to push yourself too much."

"I'll try."

I sighed at Sasuke's reply, which clearly showed he had no intention to promise that he wouldn't push himself.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at my apartment?"

"Sure." I smiled and left the room.


Sasuke's POV

It was 5.30 PM on Friday and I sighed in relief when I was finally done with recording.

For the next few days, I wouldn't have to report to my agency and I could concentrate on reviewing for my midterms.

Also, I had more time to think of a plan for Saturday.

While I was on the road to fetch Sakura, I was thinking what I should refer Saturday as. I felt embarrassed whenever I thought of it as a date. I didn't call it a 'date' in front of Sakura because I was worried she wouldn't like the idea. I wanted to use Saturday as an opportunity to repay Sakura for all she had done for me. I wouldn't want her to reject me because I called it a 'date'.

Or perhaps, I was just using 'repaying' as an excuse to spend time with her. I groaned in frustration as thoughts came running around my mind as I drove.

I was distracted but at least I managed to arrive in front of Sakura's house. I gave her a call to notify her that I was already outside.

It didn't take a long time before she came out from her house, dressed in a casual dark blue dress. She was beautiful and I hated the fact that I had to concentrate to make sure I wasn't staring at her.

It wasn't attractive to be caught staring.

When Sakura entered the car, I decided to tease her as a way to cover up my real thoughts.

"You know, Sakura, before today I didn't know you are a girl."

"Oh wow, Sasuke. Thanks a lot. I'll take that as a compliment."

In the middle of the ride to my home, I realized that Sakura had something to say but was hesitant.

"You look like you have something to say." It was unusual for Sakura to not speak up her mind. I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly to urge her to talk.

"I was just wondering." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Where are we going tomorrow?"

I wasn't looking at Sakura but from the corner of my eye, I saw her ears burning up in embarrassment.

"Are you excited?"

"Shut up! I was just wondering."

"I'll tell you later." I spoke as if I had everything figured out, which was a huge lie.

I was still unsure as to where I should take Sakura tomorrow. I was planning to use tonight's free time to think of something.

For now, I was just hoping dinner would go smoothly.


Sakura's POV

"Why is he being so secretive about tomorrow?"

That was on my mind as I followed Sasuke to his dining room.

I was definitely nervous and I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't even sure whether I should call our Saturday plan a 'date'. It would be awfully embarrassing if I would refer to it as a date and he didn't.

I would stick to calling it an 'appointment'. It sounded ridiculous but it was the safest way to put it.

We soon arrived at the spacious dining hall which was decorated luxuriously. I've been here many times but the beautiful chandelier on the ceiling never failed to amaze me.

Sasuke's father was sitting at the end of the table and he smiled at me when I entered the dining hall. He looked like he was about to speak but Sasuke's mother, who was sitting beside Itachi, rushed towards me. She held my hands in hers and looked into my eyes.

"I haven't seen you in so long, Sakura! You're getting prettier every time I see you!"

I wasn't sure whether I should feel comfortable or uncomfortable at the warm welcome I received.

"Mikoto, you're scaring her." Sasuke's father stood up and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

He smiled apologetically at me and I concluded that was a good thing that Fugaku-san was always there to manage Mikoto-san's overexcitement.

I bowed politely at Fugaku-san, who had an aura similar to that of Itachi and Sasuke. I didn't know whether or not it was a good thing that none of the Uchiha brothers inherited their mother's personality.

I couldn't imagine either Sasuke or Itachi jumping up and down in excitement. The thought itself gave me shivers.

"Please take a seat."

I nodded in response and sat beside Sasuke. I greeted Itachi and he responded warmly. Sasuke's family was as friendly as usual, which was a good sign. It meant that things would most probably go smoothly.

The conversation was casual throughout dinner and it was just like old times. Sasuke's parents thanked me for taking care of Sasuke and also for helping him with his reviews. I assured them that it wasn't troublesome and they shouldn't worry too much about it.

I refused to admit I actually enjoyed reviewing together with Sasuke. It was something too embarrassing for me to voice out.

"I didn't know you can cook, Sakura." Mikoto-san sounded surprised when Sasuke mentioned that I cooked for him when he was feeling unwell. We were done with dinner at the time and were just chatting as we sat around the dining table.

"I've been learning how to cook. It's both interesting and useful, after all." I had always seen cooking as something fun so I asked my mother to teach me how to prepare some easy dishes. I was planning to learn more complicated dishes soon.

"If you don't mind, I can teach you some of my specialties too!"

My face lit up upon hearing Mikoto-san's offer to teach me. Mikoto-san's cooking skills were splendid and it would be great if she was willing to teach me.

"I would be more than happy to learn from you, Mikoto-san!" I couldn't contain my excitement and Sasuke's mother was happy to see I was eager to learn.

"It's like passing on secret family recipes to my daughter-in-law."

Mikoto-san said that casually but I was affected by her words greatly. I heard Sasuke choking on his drink and Itachi was smirking at his younger brother. I felt my face burning up and I was too speechless to react.

"Mikoto, you're giving them heart attacks." Fugaku-san was smiling as he said that to his wife. He looked amused as he glanced over at Sasuke, whose cheeks were slightly flushed. It wasn't obvious but his face definitely changed colours.

Mikoto-san was giggling as she looked at us and all I could do was looking away. I couldn't bring myself to look at her in the eyes.

At that moment, I was glad that Sasuke offered to drive me home since it was getting late.

I bowed politely at Sasuke's parents and Itachi after I stood up. Before I left, Mikoto-san made me promise her to visit her again soon so we could start our cooking lessons.

I smiled warmly at her as I made the promise.

Sasuke drove me home and I thought he would talk about our 'appointment' tomorrow. He was quiet during most of the ride though and for a second, I thought he might be regretting to have made the 'appointment' with me.

I was slightly disappointed when I realized we had reached my home and Sasuke had yet to speak anything about tomorrow.

I thanked Sasuke for driving me back and was about to leave the car when he suddenly spoke.

"I'll fetch you at 10 AM tomorrow."

I turned to him in surprise and I felt my heart thumping against my chest.

I nodded at him and couldn't stop myself from smiling. I dashed out from Sasuke's car with a deeply flushed face upon hearing his next words though.

"Don't be late for our date."


Author's Note: Please drop a review on your way out! It really helps me when readers share what they think of the fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 3 and please look forward to chapter 4! Thank you for reading!