Author's Note: Hi, everyone! How are you doing? I hope you're all doing fine. It's been a while, but here it is finally! Chapter fourteen! I hope you enjoy it ^_^
Chapter Fourteen
Those two weeks that passed, Gaara spent them staring at Hinata's name on his phone screen. The image of her would always appear in his head; her long midnight blue hair swaying on her back, her kind pearl eyes sparkling as they looked at his direction, the way her slender fingers twirl together when she was nervous. There was one word he would use to describe her—she was beautiful.
He had never felt that way before. His heart would always skip a beat every time he remembered her wide smile, the bright shade of red blossoming her cheeks, and when she hugged him after their date. He wanted to tell someone how he felt towards her. He was so desperate to ask Kankuro for advice, but was scared his older brother would make fun of him. Temari was no good either. So, he was left to deal with these feelings and figure out what to do alone. Unfortunately, it didn't come out as great as he expected and wanted it to be.
When Hinata confronted him that day in school, his heart was pounding so hard he thought it would come right out of his chest. His cheeks were burning at how close their faces and bodies were. The expression she had on her face bewildered him for he had never seen such look on her before. Confused and embarrassed, he ended up walking away from her. In his head, he was apologizing to her a million times for leaving her alone by the school gate. He hoped her cousin would show up shortly after he left.
He finally decided to talk to Kankuro about it. It was inevitable. He was that desperate to talk about what he felt to someone, and his brother was the only person he could come up with. Kankuro was in his room, laying in bed while listening to complain rock when he approached him.
"What can I do for you, little bro?" Kankuro asked, turning down the volume of his music.
Gaara seated himself on the edge of his bed. He remained silent for a while, staring at the posters of rock bands on Kankuro's walls. His room was messy compared to Gaara's. Piles of dirty clothes were gathered on one corner, and the trashcan was full. He wondered how Kankuro managed to mess up his room even after the housemaid cleaned it up. His hands itched to tidy it.
"It's about a girl." He softly said, refusing to meet his older brother's gaze. He mentally braced himself to whatever was going to come out of his older brother's mouth.
"You came to the right person!" Kankuro said with a proud smile tugging his lips. "It's that Hyuuga girl, right?"
He silently sighed in relief. He nodded solemnly.
"So what's up with her?" Kankuro asked.
Heat rushed to Gaara's cheeks and spread to the tips of his ears. He bowed his head down and covered half his face with his hand to hide his red face. How could he speak when even the thought of her made him blush like crazy?
"Ah." Kankuro didn't even need to ask to know what his younger brother thought and felt about Hyuuga Hinata. "You like her, don't you?"
Gaara shook his head.
"What do you mean no?!" Kankuro demanded.
"What I mean is I don't know." He corrected. Kankuro motioned to continue. "I don't know how I feel about her. I always feel something in my chest every time I look at her or even think about her."
There was silence hanging between them, and gradually it was interrupted by the sound of raindrops pattering against the roof. Gaara wondered why it had been raining often lately, despite the transition from spring to summer.
"She's a nice girl, isn't she?" Kankuro asked.
"She's the nicest girl I've ever met. I'm starting to have faith in humanity after knowing her. I never knew such a girl exists."
A small smile tugged on Kankuro's lips. He sat cross-legged on his bed, leaning closer to his younger brother.
"Let me tell you something, little bro," he said as he set his hand down on Gaara's shoulder. "You tell her to go out with you and if she says yes, I guarantee you'll be the happiest guy on earth."
Hinata was sitting together with her friends when Gaara approached her. She was eating her lunch. He noticed the shocked and rather puzzled stares coming from her friends when he stood by their table. She looked up to meet his gaze and her cheeks immediately turned a bright shade of red. He felt his whole body melting just by looking into her wide eyes.
"Can I talk with you for a while?" Gaara managed to ask monotonously.
"S-sure." She stammered. "R-right now?"
It was back. He somehow missed her stutter. It was cute.
"If that's okay with you." He said.
He walked away from her desk and waited for her outside the classroom. He looked out the window and watched the tree standing tall in the center of the courtyard swaying on to the direction of the breeze. He ran everything he wanted to tell her in his head repeatedly until she came to him shyly, walking on her tiptoes, and a confused look on her face. He told her to follow him and led her to the rooftop.
Gaara thanked the heavens above that the rooftop was empty. He liked it there, especially when it's empty like that afternoon, because he felt closer to the skies and could think about anything up there without being interrupted.
He leaned against the railings as he gazed at the empty streets below him. He clutched at the cloth above his chest, his heart racing wildly. He suddenly felt her presence beside him, their elbows nearly touching. He braced himself to tell her everything he meant to say. The words were on the tip of his tongue when she beat him to it.
"Why haven't you been talking to me, Gaara-kun?" she asked him, her voice hard and trembling at the same time. "Do you have any idea how I felt when you ignored me?"
He turned his face to look at her. His heart dropped when he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. She was biting her lower lip to suppress her sobs. He felt so terrible for ignoring her. He didn't even consider her feelings for one second during that time. All he did was give her a cold shoulder when all she had been doing was try to help him.
"Forgive me," he murmured.
He reached out his hand and wiped the tears from her face. Her head snapped up and her pale lilac eyes widened, looking at him with a bewildered expression on her face. Her cheeks gradually blossomed.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you," he said softly, removing his hand from her face. "I needed some time to think…about everything."
"Why?" she asked slowly. "You could've talked to me—p-parts of it, at least."
He felt his whole body burning as the words he had been meaning to say to her were on the tip of his tongue. He searched her face for traces of yearning, and he found it through the way she looked at him with her red-rimmed eyes. Somehow she looked beautiful when she cried.
"I didn't know what to do, because I've never felt this way before." He said.
"What do you feel, Gaara-kun?"
"I feel…alive when I'm with you. The thought of you keeps me going everyday. You were not the only one who had suffered the past two weeks, because I did, too. I wanted to tell you…" he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "how much I care about you."
Her eyes widened. He couldn't control the wild beating of his heart when her pink lips slightly parted. Suddenly there was a strange desire to envelop his lips on hers. He could almost feel how soft they were.
"I want you to be happy, and I hate myself to be the cause of your tears." He continued.
Tenderly, he caressed her cheek and watched her eyes close as she leaned against the crook of his palm. Looking at her look so content, he realized he would do anything to make the girl happy.
"Will you forgive me, Hinata?" he asked.
She cupped his hand in hers and slowly opened her eyes, a small smile gracing her lips. Her hand was soft compared to his calloused ones. He felt so glad and relieved when she nodded her head and whispered yes. His lips tugged into a smile when she closed the distance between them and gently pressed her body against his, her arms wrapped around him. He felt her fast heartbeat against his, becoming one. A sense of calm rushed throughout his veins. It was as if the void in his heart had been filled with her warmth. He never wanted to let go—afraid he would lose her and shatter her to pieces if he did.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Author's Note: Don't forget to review! I like reading your thoughts and opinions. It keeps me going as a writer. Constructive criticism are very welcome, as well. Until next time!