It was towards the end of that week that Sasuke saw her again, this time at the grocery store in front of Konoha Hospital. He was in a good mood, as last night he had worked with such a fervor that he had finished his most recent book with time to spare before the deadline. His publisher was thrilled, gushing over how it was sure to win more awards that his last.
She was in a different coat today, a tan trench coat that was open down the middle and revealed another button-up shirt—this one a pale green that matched her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, most likely from the recently dropping temperatures outside.
Instead of a huge shopping cart she opted for one of the smaller baskets, halfway filled with a small variety of vegetables and a box of green tea. A black bag hung from her right shoulder, and he couldn't help but wonder if she still was reading the same book as before.
So as she looked at different brands in the bread aisle, he walked down slowly, hoping to catch her eye.
And he was successful, because he certainly caught her eye.
He tripped.
And fell facedown onto the cold, dirty linoleum.
"Oh my god!" she cried out immediately, dropping her basket on the floor and rushing over to him. "Are you okay?"
He grunted something inaudible, pushing himself off the ground slowly, cheeks burning in embarrassment. His only solace was that now her attention was completely on him, bright green eyes meeting cool onyx.
"Your hand is bleeding," she observed quickly (before he did), and pulled his hand into hers. "Let me help."
Even though his ego was hurt, his masculinity wounded…he couldn't find the motivation to move away, especially when her touch was warm, soothing, and everything he expected it to be.
She reached into her leather handbag to get a bandage, (why did she just happen to carry around medical supplies?) and in plain sight was his very first novel—the one that he had published when he was just seventeen.
"You like Sasuke Uchiha?" he asked suddenly, and it felt weird to say, coming from his own mouth. The girl froze for a second and raised her eyebrows, but nevertheless answered him.
"He's one of my favorite authors," she explained, finishing her work. "Even though his first few books are a bit sloppy, I like the unpredictability of them."
Sasuke sighed. If Naruto were here, he would definitely love this girl. It was rare to hear criticism of his work, no matter how slightly, since people seemed to be too focused on fawning over his recent popularity. He sometimes wondered if he was on the path to becoming a sell-out, abandoning the grittiness of his first few books to be more pleasing to the general public.
"How many have you read?" he asked, prolonging the conversation even though they had both gotten off the floor at this point. She looked ready to leave, and it was all he could do to keep her there for a few more lingering moments.
"Only a few. I still have five left of his," she smiled. "I've been reading one every few days when I get free time. Though usually I get so many patients that I use a lot of my sleeping time to read."
"Patients?"
"Oh," she replied quickly, looking a little embarrassed. (That was the only explanation for the blush on her cheeks, right?) "I'm a doctor at Konoha Hospital"
"That's nice."
Silence.
"Well….I have to pay for my things now," she said a bit awkwardly. "Hope your hand gets better!"
And as she walked away, Sasuke swore to himself that he would make sure to hold her attention for longer next time.
Ah. There he goes, assuming there would be a next time.
By the time Sakura got home, Ino was already lying on her couch, tv on and a glass of wine in her hand. (She sure wasn't kidding earlier over how she liked to spend her free time)
"You sure took your sweet time," she teased, eyes flickering over to Sakura's flushed face. "Did you meet Prince Charming or something?"
Sakura laughed loudly. (too loudly)
"Hahaha—no! Of course not! Why would you think that?"
"You're so weird sometimes," Ino snickered, eyes back to the television screen as Sakura put away the few grocery items she had brought back. "Anyways, I think you need to decide your type."
"My type?" Sakura asked, pausing in her movements.
"You know, the type of man you want. Personality traits, dream job, looks—anything you think should be a requirement."
Sakura frowned. "I don't think people should go into relationships with a checklist like that. Love should come naturally, even unexpectedly."
"See, this is why you're single!" Ino cried, motioning Sakura to sit next to her now that her food was all put away. "You put too much importance on that ~love at first sight~ crap."
"It's not crap," Sakura huffed, sitting on the far end of the couch and ignoring the reality show playing in front of her. "You see it in books and movies all the time."
"Oh, Sakura. That's why people love fiction so much! It's completely unrealistic!"
"But Ino-"
"Go ahead. Describe your dream man."
She sensed Sakura's hesitation. "Pretend that you're designing the ideal boyfriend."
"Uh-I mean, I guess I'd like him to be attractive."
"You guess?" Ino giggled. "Surely you can be more specific."
"Well, um…I guess I like dark hair the best. And not super muscular. I don't like when guys look like they're in the gym for hours a day."
"Wow, we're more different that I thought we were," Ino added. "Anything ese?"
"And I'd probably want him to be kind of introverted. Someone that appreciates good writing like I do...and even though it sounds superficial….I'd like him to make at least as much as I do, since I've had guys be put off by that in the past," she explained with a blush on her pale cheeks.
"Good luck finding someone into the arts with a huge salary, Sakura," Ino smiled. "The 'starving artist' stereotype is unfortunately based on reality."
"But I'd be happy as long as he had passion for life and only had eyes for me."
After taking a generous gulp of wine, Ino closed her eyes and nodded enthusiastically. "I feel you there, girl."
However, throughout the conversation, Sakura found her mind flitting back to her interaction in the grocery store earlier. She had been so nervous talking to such an attractive guy—he was pretty much a modern-day Adonis.
Nevertheless, although he seemed nice, he looked like the type to be in law or business, certainly not the creative type. It surprised her that he was familiar with Sasuke Uchiha's work, but then again, he probably just recognized the name since he had been so popular recently.
The man oozed a cool confidence, which was both magnetic and intimidating. It took a lot of effort not to melt into a stuttering mess the second their skin touched. She would've asked his name, but since he didn't ask hers, she felt like it would be pointless to get her hopes up for someone so far out of her league.
But a girl could dream, couldn't she?
Probably updating "Electricity Between Both of Us" soon! Love me some AU SasuSaku ;)
