"Good morning!" Sakura sang as she came through the door to work. She shed her coat and scarf and wandered over to the cupboard they kept their personal belongings in to hang it all up.
"What's so good about it?" Temari asked, looking glumly over a mug of coffee which she was sincerely hoping would wake her up a bit.
"My life is starting to look up, that's all. So what did I miss yesterday on my day off?" Sakura said cheerfully
"The whole world seemed to want to come here for flu vaccines, you missed our busiest day so far." Temari frowned as she watched Sakura move around the reception area of the small doctors practise. "How's your life looking up then? Only a few days ago you complained that everyone you knew seemed to be pairing off and that you were doomed to roam through life single and alone." Sakura smiled at Temari.
"I never said that, I was happy for Ino, although you're right about people pairing off, my friend Tenten's now engaged she told us yesterday." Sakura said and Temari looked at her suspiciously which began to make Sakura feel nervous.
"You've met someone." Temari said finally.
"How did you know from that?" Sakura demanded and Temari grinned at her as she didn't try to deny it.
"Sakura! Who is it?" She asked and Sakura felt herself going red.
"Temari-" She protested but was interrupted.
"Who's who?" Tsunade their boss came out of her office and sat on the edge of the reception desk.
"Sakura's met someone." Temari said gleefully.
"I have not!" Sakura protested as she stood by the coffee machine making herself a drink. "It wasn't like it was a date or anything."
"Oh? So there is someone." Tsunade said. "Who? I want name, age, profession, and their whole life story would be nice."
"I don't know that much about him." Sakura said weakly as she could see herself loosing this argument, it wasn't fair it was two against one. Especially as both Tsunade and Temari had a bad habit of mothering her it was as if they didn't think she could look after herself.
"Tell us what you do know then." Temari chipped in smiling.
"He's called Sasuke, he goes to the same coffee place as I do, he reads a lot and he knows Neji Tenten's fiancé."
"Isn't there always someone who reads where you go for coffee?" Temari asked and Sakura nodded.
"Is it him?" Sakura stared as Temari's grey-blue eyes light up.
"Um...yes?" She said cautiously.
"The one you and your friend Ino seem obsessed with?" Temari said and Tsunade looked at the younger women with some amusement as Sakura's expression began to take on a deer caught in the headlights kind of look.
"We're not obsessed, he's just interesting." Sakura insisted as her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment, she regretted telling Temari about them watching Sasuke now.
"I've got to meet this person." Temari muttered "He must be really something to have you and Ino talking about him for months on end."
"You make it sound like Sasuke's all we talk about." Tsunade smiled.
"Well I think Shikamaru did come up in conversation a few times to be fair." She said in a teasing manner which made Sakura flush even more.
"Oh, stop it you two." She muttered
"Does Ino know?" Temari asked.
"Know what?" Sakura asked wearily.
"That you have been meeting up with the subject of all your conversations and obsessions, the man you've concocted elaborate fantasies about and-"
"Alright that's enough I get the picture." Sakura said glaring at her. "Jeez." She muttered and Temari grinned at Tsunade when Sakura wasn't looking.
"I only hope he can live up to all the wild fantasies they've had about him." She said raising her eyebrows slightly "I'd hate for Sakura to be disappointed." Tsunade smirked and Sakura turned and gave them a rather fixed smile.
"Don't talk to me again unless it's to tell me when I have an appointment." She said firmly before walking off towards her small office. Temari and Tsunade exchanged a look.
"Do you think we pushed it too far?" Temari looked up as Tsunade through her thick blonde fringe.
"No, she's used to our teasing she'll be over it soon." Temari smirked "He must be pretty special to have her that flustered after something that wasn't even a date." Tsunade smiled.
"We didn't even find out if she was meeting him again." She said and Temari sighed.
"Shame."
Sakura sighed leaning with her back against the door in her office. It was small but functional and there was just enough room for herself and a patient, she had all she needed in it anyway. Sakura moved over to her desk and logged into her computer, she didn't have an appointment for the first hour of work. Sakura sighed again, now what should she do; she couldn't talk to Temari as she usually would because she'd have to face more of her teasing.
The computer beeped, showing the she had email. Sakura brought up her inbox and found it to be from Temari, with an apology in it that wasn't half as grovelling as Sakura wanted it to be which she told her in her reply.
There was a knock at the door, and it opened without Sakura even replying to it, Temari stood there with an apologetic look on her face and a mug of coffee in her hand.
"I'm sorry Sakura but you'd do the same to me, if I met someone." She said and Sakura tried to take the moral high ground.
"I wouldn't." Instead she sounded like a sulky child.
"Liar." Temari said with a lopsided smile.
"I wouldn't do it as much as you did." Sakura was aware that this was turning into a futile argument.
"Here, you forgot this." Temari passed her some coffee. "As I know you won't get through the day without it" Sakura smiled at her gratefully and decided that she could be nice as well.
"You're hair looks nice today." She said and Temari gave a sheepish smile.
"Thanks. I wanted to try something different but when my brothers say it they just stared at me as if I was some kind of alien." Sakura smiled at her, instead of the usual pigtails Temari wore her hair was separated into two French plats down the side of her head.
"It is different, but it looks good." Sakura said and Temari smiled at her.
"Are you seeing him again?" Temari asked carefully, not wanting to provoke Sakura further. Her friend nodded her green eyes focused on the screen as she tried to appear nonchalant about it but Sakura was unable to hide the smile that crept across her face.
"Next Wednesday." She said and found it had to contain the glee in her voice.
"Have fun." Temari said softly "And be aware that you'll face an even bigger interrogation then." Sakura stuck her tongue out at her. "What are you doing?" Temari continued.
"I don't know, meeting up at the coffee place and then we'll see where we go from there."
"Sounds very vague, I'm surprised usually you'd want some kind of itinerary." Temari said thinking of Sakura's organisational abilities.
"Ha ha." Sakura muttered "For your information I spent the whole of yesterday afternoon wandering from place to place with Sasuke without really knowing what we were going to do after. I did not demand an itinerary then." Temari gave her a fond smile.
"I'm proud of you Sakura." Sakura glared and Temari backed away from her. "And now I'll leave you to your work I guess, I can't leave the reception desk empty, Tsunade would have a fit. Have fun on Wednesday though on your unplanned date." Sakura flushed.
"It isn't a date'" She hissed and Temari raised an eyebrow. "We're just friends."
"Hmm." Temari left Sakura's office just as Sakura shrieked after her.
"What's that supposed to mean?"