Again, thank you so much for the reviews. My hearts leaps with joy every time I read them and find how you guys are enjoying the story so far. I hope this chapter won't disappoint you, either. Thank you so much for reading. :)
Chapter 4:
.
Hinata ran her fingers through her hair a couple more times before turning the hair dryer off. She studied her reflection in the mirror one last time and sighed, noticing the dark circles beneath her eyes, then she made her move to exit the bathroom.
Of all the places in the world, the only one where she felt the most comfortable was that small bedroom she shared with Menma. For Hinata, it was a sanctuary- a place of complete tranquillity and comfort, the only place in the world where she could perform her deepest slumbers.
But last night, despite the ease that the four walls presented, or the warmth that her soft bed offered, Hinata couldn't sleep. She lay still on the bed with her eyes closed, but her mind was filled by thoughts of a certain someone, who happened to be lying equally still beside her, with Menma sleeping soundly on top of him, nestled against his chest. She remembered lying on her side and slowly opening her eyes, only to fix them unwaveringly on Naruto's sleeping form. Feeling his shoulder touching against hers made her heart beat the same way it did the first time they first shared a bed together. Knowing that he's so near again, she just couldn't sleep.
Hinata yawned as she opened the bedroom door, careful not to make any noise that could wake the two sleeping creatures up. She tiptoed her way to her closet and grabbed the two piece clothing- aside from her undergarments- that she felt most comfortable in. She reached, about to untie the knot of her robe, but stopped. She turned her head around, her eyes falling on the blond male as he breathed in and out in his sleep, and pondered to herself, 'He's asleep, right?' She let her eyes watch him for a few more seconds and proceeded with undressing herself.
'Like he hadn't seen me naked before.' She blushed.
Now clad in a gray sweatshirt and a pair of denim shorts, she walked quietly and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Menma-kun, sweetie, you're heavy. Daddy can't breathe." She whispered in the boy's ear and gently rubbed his back, but Menma only hugged Naruto tighter and remained asleep. Hinata smiled and placed a soft kiss on the back of his head. She held back a laugh, seeing that Menma's drool was puddling on his father's shirt.
Her gaze then fell on the man that her son used as a makeshift bed. He appeared to be sleeping as soundly as Menma was, with his breathing even and his lips slightly parted, the hand holding Menma's back remained still.
'It's been five years, huh?' Hinata thought, as her fingers gently, but hesitantly, trailed the lines on his face. They slowly moved up and played with the strands of his hair.
She almost forgot how his hair smelled like, and how soft they felt against her hands when she desperately clutched onto them one night.
She ran her fingers down his face and grazed the corner of his lips.
Those lips that had trailed and burned soft kisses on her skin.
These were the things she desperately tried to forget, but couldn't.
Hinata stopped. She cleared her throat, a soft blush creeping across her cheeks, and moved to stand up, suddenly thinking about the food she had to prepare for breakfast.
She was about to step away from the bed when she felt a gentle pull on her hand, making her look back. She found his half-lidded eyes sleepily gazing back at her, and her blush turned into a deeper shade of red.
"Hey." Naruto softly smiled and lightly squeezed her hand.
"H-Hey." She hesitated, but held his hand back.
Oooxxxooo
They learned that morning that they both liked their coffee sweet as they went through the pages of Menma's photo book. They were seated next to each other at a small table in the kitchen, not minding that their shoulders touched in the slightest movement.
"That's Menma-kun's first birthday." Hinata put down her cup as she pointed on a photo of a smaller Menma. His face, covered with chocolate icing, was stretched into a smile.
Naruto laughed out loud at how adorable Menma looked. Just one photo and he already felt his heart melting. He shook his head. "I can't believe it. I still can't believe it."
"What?" Hinata turned her gaze to the man she was seated next to.
"How the hell did I become the father of this adorable little kid? Look at him! He's so cute!"
"W-Well, you're pretty good-looking, Naruto-san." She quickly averted her gaze when he shot her a glance. "Uh, I mean, really good-looking."
He reluctantly sipped on his cup of coffee, as he watched her brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "T-Thanks."
Hinata softly smiled and turned the page of the photo book.
"T-This is Menma when he turned three. That shirt he's wearing was a gift from Hanabi. He really liked it. He literally cried when it no longer fit him."
Naruto imagined his son's face crying over an outgrown airplane shirt, and he cracked up. He glanced through a few more photos- Menma's first trip to the zoo, a picture at his favourite spot at the park, his first snow man, Menma hugging a huge cat, Menma embracing a man unfamiliar to Naruto.
As pages were turned, the smile on his face gradually grew faint.
"A-Are you alright, Naruto-san?" Hinata noticed.
The faint smile completely disappeared as he sighed. Somehow, his son's widest and happiest smiles brought a lonely feeling in his chest that pained him to a great extent.
How he had always dreamed of being a father and seeing his child grow up.
"I can't believe I missed all these. Where was I?" His voice sounded hurt.
Hinata bit her lip. There was a pained look on her face as she held her coffee cup a tad tighter. "I-I'm really sorry. I didn't know how to tell you."
There was a part of him that wanted to blame Hinata for not telling him sooner, but his rational side told him that it was him who had faded away in the first place. If he had only showed up earlier. If he had only tried to see her sooner. There were so many things that he regretted doing and not doing, but having to miss five years of Menma's life was something he felt very regretful about, and he wouldn't allow himself to miss more than he already had. He wouldn't allow himself to miss those smiles anymore.
"I want to help you raise Menma." Naruto said firmly.
"What?" Hinata's eyes widened.
"At least, financially... for now."
"W-What are you saying?"
Naruto fixed his gaze to the black liquid that's slowly settling inside his cup. "You said it yourself. I'm the father. But with the situation right now, I can't be with him all the time. But I do want to help you raise him. So, I'm thinking of paying for child support."
"W-What? D-Do you hear what you're saying?" Hinata put down her own cup of coffee rather roughly on the table, causing a few drops to stain the white laced tablecloth. Naruto only looked at her unrattled. "What if they ask you to retro-pay all those five years? And what if Sakura-"
"We don't have to go through all the legalities. (1) Well, at least that's what I'm thinking. But I promise to send you checks every month."
"But I don't-"
"Don't tell me you don't need it. I wouldn't have found you at Shikamaru's party if you didn't." Naruto eyed her curiously.
Hinata eyes softened and lowered her gaze. "I mean, I don't want to burden you with such responsibility."
"It is a responsibility, but Menma will never be a burden. I want to do it. I'll be happy to do it."
"B-But what if Sakura-san finds out? Are you going to tell her about Menma?" Hinata bit her lip.
Naruto took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Now that the fact the he had a son from another woman was already sinking in, the other truth of the matter- that he had an affair- was also beginning to be realized, and he couldn't feel any guiltier cheating on the pink-haired woman. But wasn't it her fault to begin with? If she had just kept her promise to make time for him, then he wouldn't have gone to the club in the first place. Naruto scratched the back of his head feeling frustrated at how difficult things had been going. Well, at least Hinata was more amiable and easier to talk to. If only Sakura had been a little more like her...
"I.. I don't know, actually. She won't be back until Tuesday, so that gives me more time to think about things. But honestly, I still don't know how to tell her. I don't know how she'll react. She'll probably kick my ass, but she'll eventually find out about Menma anyway, so why hide it?"
"But she might leave you." Hinata looked at him with sad eyes. She chewed on her lower lip, contemplating at how difficult the situation was for Naruto. He only returned her gaze, his eyes mirroring her sadness. "I'm really, really sorry. You got into this situation because of me." She gazed up trying to hold back her tears. "If you could just forget about me and Menma-"
"No! Don't say that!" Naruto lifted an arm, about to slam his fist on the table but held himself back, only to accidentally hit his coffee cup, causing to spill all its unfinished content on the table. Hinata immediately got up to get a towel, but Naruto stopped her.
"I'll get it." He spoke quietly.
Hinata watched him slowly got up and wiped the table clean.
"Why are you insisting? Why did you suddenly want to be a part of his life? I thought..." She paused, remembering their conversation last night in the car.
"He called me 'daddy' last night." Naruto plastered a genuine smile that made her heart stop for a moment.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah." Naruto threw the towel at the kitchen sink and moved his chair that they were now facing each other. "Well, when you left the room, he woke up and started to cry. I picked him up and tried to hush him. I don't know how to explain it... but at that moment, I just felt it. I knew he really is mine. He clung onto me until he fell asleep again, and before that, he said that he wants me, his daddy."
Hinata felt her heart leap, and she smiled. "I-Is that so..? I'm glad."
"Me, too." Naruto grinned. "So don't ask me to think that nothing happened because I can't. I already missed a few years and I can't bear to miss anything more. I'll just deal with Sakura-chan later. She's busy, anyways. And please don't blame yourself. I'm just as equally at fault as you are. It's not like you forced me to have sex with you or something."
"Naruto-kun!" She blushed furiously, which made him laugh.
"There, at least 'Naruto-kun' isn't too formal. I like that."
A gentle smile immediately replaced her frown, when she saw his smile widened from ear to ear.
"S-So, Naruto-kun, how often will you see Menma?" She asked, knowing that he would soon demand his rights.
"Well, now that you mention it.. I actually want to see him everyday." Naruto held back a smile seeing Hinata's worried feature.
"I'm just kidding. I'm not going to take him away from you. I promised you back at the hospital. Though I do want to see him everyday." Naruto sighed. "I'll just visit him as often as I can, or take him for an ice cream sometimes."
"A-And what if... What if it's Menma who wants to see you, Naruto-kun? What if he suddenly needs you?" Hinata's voice became serious. "I don't want things to be unfair to him."
Naruto paused and looked at her straight into the eyes- those pure white eyes that he didn't know could look so fierce. "If my son needs me, then I'll be there. I promise."
Hinata eased her expression and offered him a gentle smile. "O-Okay, that's good enough for me."
"Oh.. Before I forget, I want you to promise me one thing, too."
"W-What's that?" Hinata furrowed her brows.
"Promise me that you'll never do it again." He averted his gaze and ran a hand through his hair, remembering that unpleasant feeling in his chest when he saw her at the party last night.
"Which one?"
"Stripping. Don't do it again." He answered, holding her gaze for a few more seconds. His hand turned into a fist, as he held himself back from touching her hand that rested on the table.
"Oh. O-Okay. Yes, I promise." He blushed.
"G-Good." Naruto said as he cleared his throat.
Silence fell for a moment, but was soon broken at the sweet sound of Menma's voice.
"Mom?" He called, his small hands still rubbing sleep away from his eyes.
"Hey there, sweetheart. Good morning." Hinata picked him up and sat him on her lap. "You hungry?" She asked as she gave Menma a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes. Do we have spaghetti? I want spaghetti." The boy answered in a soft voice. His shy glances fell on the blond man seated across him, and his mother noticed.
Hinata giggled. "Spaghetti? Alright, spaghetti it is. Go to daddy while I make you one. You guys wait here." She looked lovingly at Naruto as she stood up and lead Menma to him.
Naruto straightened his back and eyed her with a bit of surprise evident on his face. His eyes met another pair of blue ones staring back at him, and he suddenly felt uneasy. 'Does he remember?' He thought. He wondered how he would feel if it happened that Menma already forgot that he called him 'daddy', or that Menma was just sleep-talking that night. But he knew the answer to that: He would definitely feel devastated. The thought scared him beyond compare.
It was like his heart stopped when he heard Menma speak again.
"Okay." The boy simply answered, and climbed up to Naruto's lap wrapping his small arms around him.
Naruto stiffened, a bit surprised, but soon held his son back. He felt his heart clench at the feeling of Menma's head resting on his shoulder, his small forehead touching Naruto's neck. He let out a short laugh to ease the lump that formed in his throat. He turned his head, kissing Menma on the forehead, and he hugged the boy closer. "Hi. Did you sleep well?"
"Yup. I saw lots of spaghetti in my dreams." Menma replied sleepily.
"Really? Is that why you're hungry?" Naruto chuckled. He looked at Hinata with eyes that twinkled with joy, as he stood up and closed the distance between them.
"I'll just go get some pasta." Hinata said to him as she blinked away tears that welled up her eyes. A single tear escaped her eye, as he bent down and softly kissed her on the cheek.
"Thank you." He whispered.
His breath felt warm in her ear.
Oooxxxooo
"I'm really sorry about what I did at the party the other night. It must have ruined the mood. I'm sorry."
Naruto looked apologetically at Shikamaru who was seated quietly across the table, playing with his drink. Rock Lee also remained unusually silent. His dark round eyes wandered to the man on the other side of the table and to the pineapple head sitting beside him, then through the pages of the bar's menu.
Shikamaru tapped his box of cigarette and clipped a stick between his fingers. "You did ruin it a bit. Everyone was surprised when you suddenly left with the girl. It was really awkward, man, but they got over it when one of the girls offered to finish the lap dance for me." Shikamaru snickered. "But, seriously, what the hell happened to you?"
"Yeah. What was that? Did you know that a drunk Chouji called me in the middle of the freaking night, ranting about how you suddenly ran off with the stripper? And do you even know how hard it was to convince that woman?" Lee was suddenly furious. Two weeks of changing diapers had taken its toll on the man with the thick eyebrows.
"I know that was a stupid stunt, and I'm sorry. That's the reason I called you guys here- so I can properly apologize. Order anything you want. It's my treat. And here," Naruto said, as he handed Lee three one hundred bills. "I'm giving your money back."
"I paid her five hundred, idiot."
"Alright, fine!" Naruto pulled two more bills from his wallet and lightly shoved it on Lee's chest.
"Hmm, I'm feeling slightly better now. This is good. I'm actually starving." The bushy brows commented. "Why did you do that anyway? You know the woman?"
Naruto found himself under the scrutiny of two curious pairs of eyes.
"Is she a friend?" Shikamaru asked.
"Or maybe an ex?" Lee followed.
"A fuck buddy?"
"Well, she's... She's someone I met at a strip club years ago."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, a smug smile forming on his lips. "Oh really? Interesting..."
"And I... happened to have a one-night stand with her." Naruto hesitantly added.
Lee felt his mouth fall open, and his eyebrows twitched like it had a life of its own. "You cheated on Sakura-chan?"
Shikamaru was also evidently surprised, with his eyebrows raised and his eyes widened, but he remained calm. "Wow, that's unexpected. Well, she's really... attractive." He cleared his throat. "But it's a surprise that you still remember her after all these years."
Naruto noticed the knowing look that the Nara was giving him, and he sighed.
"He cheated on Sakura-chan." Lee repeated, like he was realizing it for the first time.
"I did bump into her not too long ago. And I... umm... found out that that one-time thing actually got her... you know, pregnant. So basically, she's also the mother of my five-year old kid. Oh, and yes, I know her."
Naruto casually sipped from his drink and ignored the ridiculously shocked expression plastered on Lee's face. It irked him a bit, but the stupid smirk on Shikamaru's face was also left ignored. His eyes settled outside the cafe window where he could see the faint rays of the sun slowly fading as it set. He gazed at his watch, and it was almost six in the evening. Two more hours, then he had to pick Sakura up from the airport.
"You're kidding, right?" Lee finally broke the awkward silence, his round eyes still wide in shock. "I know you'll give us something crazy, but I am not expecting this one."
"No, I'm not." Naruto looked him in the eye.
"Oh shit!" Lee exclaimed, causing a few heads to turn their way. "He cheated on Sakura-chan!"
"Calm down, Lee. And, so what?" Shikamaru said, slightly annoyed, but his expression soon turned into one of fascination. "Wow, really? She's a mom?"
Naruto darted the pineapple head a look. "Yes. My son's mom."
Shikamaru chuckled. "I'm just kidding." He lit the cigarette he placed between his lips and inhaled deeply. "So, you're saying that you met that woman-"
"Her name's Hinata." Naruto cut him off.
"Fine." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You met Hinata at a strip club-"
"Can't believe you cheated on Sakura-chan and went to a strip club without me." Lee commented under his breath.
"-had a one-night stand, then years later you found out that you knocked her up and that you have a five-year old kid with her?" Shikamaru continued, and Naruto only nodded in response. "Alright. That answered my question. I'm ordering pizza."
"Hold on! Hold on!" Lee frantically waved his hands. "This is serious matter, Shikamaru! Our friend here might be a victim of that crazy bitch! There's no way that you'll just believe someone like her. She could be lying! What if she's just ripping you off-"
"Hey, Lee..." Shikamaru elbowed him hard on the side and looked at Naruto who continued to remain silent.
"Okay, I'm sorry. But it's just absurd to instantly believe her just because she told you things."
"Thank you for your concern, Lee, but I'm sure she's not lying. Menma really looked like me, when I was his age. And Hinata... she actually didn't want anything to do with me until I forced her. When I first saw her again after five years, she didn't want to tell me about him. But I still found out, like fate was letting me."
Lee closed his mouth, but his expression remained stern. "Fate, my ass. When did you start believing in such things? And does Sakura-chan know about this?"
Naruto clenched his jaw. "No. Not yet. But I plan to. Tonight, after I pick her up from the airport. But I don't really know how to fucking tell her that I have a kid. I don't even know how to tell her I slept with someone! I love her, and I don't want to hurt her. But I can't just hide things like this from her and act like they didn't happen." Naruto ran a hand through his hair feeling anxious.
Shikamaru and Lee looked at each other with eyes that showed concern, as Naruto's resolve started to break to the gravity of the situation.
"I know this could be hard for you, Naruto. And I don't want to sound like I'm telling you what to do. But it's just right for you to tell her." Lee said.
"Right." Naruto rested his forehead on the glass table.
"Hang on. Before you do, Naruto, have you decided whether you want to be a part of the kid's life?"
Shikamaru's question got him to sit up straight once again, and he answered. "Yeah. The other night, I kinda told him I'm his dad. And I want to be, surprisingly. 'Rush of love', right Lee?" Naruto chuckled. "So, I told Hinata I'll pay for child support and make sure to see him as often as I can."
"She agreed? I thought she doesn't want anything to do with you?" Shikamaru looked at him quizzically.
"She didn't want it at first, saying she didn't want to trouble me and Sakura-chan. That's also the reason why she kept quiet about it until I forced her to tell me the truth."
Shikamaru smiled and nodded his head. "Hmm, I see. Well, at least that part with the kid is going quite well. Good for you, Hinata actually seems nice. And to tell you honestly, I'm impressed. You seem to be dealing with this maturely, Naruto. That's another thing I'm not expecting."
"W-Well, me too. Though I still think you're an idiot for not knowing when to use a condom. And for cheating." Lee crossed his arms on his chest.
Naruto slumped back on his chair, remembering that he had to deal with Sakura later.
"Shut it, Lee. Don't you think that Sakura-chan might also be at fault? We both know Naruto very well. He would never go to a strip club just to cheat on her. He worships that forehead like the freaking golden calf! He would never do something like if she didn't push it. Tell us, Naruto, is she still being that same busy social butterfly?"
Naruto bit the side of his cheeks, but didn't answer.
"See what I mean?" Shikamaru glanced mockingly at Lee, but he just furrowed his thick brows.
"I don't want to put the blame on Sakura-chan for what happened. I'm the one who slept with another woman, and I'm totally responsible for everything. That's why I'm starting to make all things right." Naruto finally spoke.
"I'm not saying you were right that you slept with someone else, because, absolutely, you weren't. But I do understand why you ended up doing it anyway. You're just human, Naruto. You have your limits, too. Sakura should be the first one to know that, if she truly loves you." Shikamaru commented.
"And since when did you become the love expert?!" Lee almost yelled, as he comically pointed a finger on Shikamaru.
"Shut up. I'm just telling him the reality that Sakura doesn't love him the way he loves her."
"You're unbelievable." Lee remarked. "You still make it look like it was just right that he slept with that woman."
"Hinata." Shikamaru saw Naruto held back a smile. "And yeah, maybe it is. So he could realize how Sakura-chan treats him like garbage." Shikamaru took one last drag on his cigarette before crushing the cigarette butt on the ashtray. "Excuse the word, Naruto. I'm just hungry. Don't get me wrong. Sakura-chan is a great girl... if she's not your girlfriend."
Lee was about to open his mouth again, but decided not to, realizing that the smart Shikamaru could be right this time, too.
"Why don't you try dating you son's mom? She seems nice."
Rock Lee almost spat his drink to the absurdity of Shikamaru's statement.
"She's a real beauty, if you ask me. And I bet she's more reasonable than Sakura-chan. You two would get along really well."
"You're crazy, Shikamaru." Naruto's lips formed a small smile and shook his head.
"And you're a liar if you tell me that you're not attracted to her. And I'm not only talking physically, man." The conflicted look on Naruto's face was enough for his lips to form a knowing smile. "Guess so." Shikamaru mumbled as he gulped down his drink.
"How can you say that? Naruto loves Sakura-chan, idiot! They've been together for seven years. Whatever it is that Sakura-chan is doing wrong, I'm sure she'll make it up to him." Lee said with so much conviction.
"Well, I just hope she does soon. Right, Naruto?"
Naruto eyed Shikamaru one last time, and he sighed. "R-Right."
Oooxxxooo
If there was one thing that his conversation with Lee and Shikamaru brought him, then definitely, it was confusion.
He was wrong to think that talking to the two people he trusted the most would somehow lighten up the anxiety he was feeling, because sure enough, they didn't. Not only that they didn't ease his fear of telling Sakura the truth nor give him reassuring words like 'everything will be fine', like what normal friends do. Instead, Shikamaru brutally told him how screwed his relationship was with his fiancee, by pointing out its ultimate flaw that he painfully and deliberately ignored, and Lee... Well, he was just being the loud person that he was.
But he never did expect that their conversation would stir up a feeling of confusion regarding his feelings for a certain dark-haired woman.
Uncertainty. Unable to understand something clearly. Confusion.
It was unclear for him why he had done it, when he took her wrist and dragged her out of the party. Why he almost ruined a friend's special night when he saw her remove that red coat and started dancing. He thought that maybe he was only trying to be protective of her because she was the mother of his son, but even he doubted himself back then.
He couldn't understand it either, that emotion he felt that morning, when she suddenly entered the room with nothing but a robe on. Sure it wasn't a surprise that he felt excited seeing her undress herself- her body was of a goddess, for pete's sake. But as he felt her cold fingers gently stroked his face and played with his hair, with her black hair that freshly smelled of pomegranate showering over his face once again, there was a voice deep inside him that told him it wasn't just because she was the mother of his precious son. It was also simply because he couldn't bear to see another man touch her.
He was confused. Was he really more than physically attracted to her? He longed for her in Sakura's absence, and surprisingly even in her presence, but had it possibly developed into something deeper? He barely even knew her.
But thinking about it didn't keep another unpleasant feeling to wash over him.
He turned his gaze off the road for a moment and stared at the pink-haired woman at the passenger seat.
"They're really pretty, Naruto! But you really didn't have to." Sakura smelled the bouquet of flowers that sat on her lap.
Red roses. A representation of a heart's deep passion.
And of a sin that Naruto couldn't bring himself to confess.
"It's nothing. Just to show you how much I missed you." He gave her a sidelong glance and saw that familiar contrite smile he had seen numerous times.
"I'm really sorry I forgot to tell you about the conference. I was really busy the entire time, and I didn't get the chance to tell you."
Naruto just sighed. "You have your phone with you all the time. You can just send me a message, like always. Okay?"
"O-Okay. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise! How about we go somewhere the week after next? A vacation once in a while sounds nice."
Naruto would've stared at her in pure astonishment for a long time if he wasn't driving. He couldn't remember the last time Sakura mentioned the word vacation, and he sure didn't expect her to mention it now. "R-Really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I'll make it up to you. Let's go on a trip before summer ends."
"Okay. That sounds great." Naruto found himself mirroring the same smile she gave him a while ago. It's when he felt guiltiest- when Sakura tried really hard for him. Those counted times that told him she loved him. He swallowed hard and spoke again when the traffic light went red. "There's something I need something to tell you."
"Hm? What's that?"
"It's-" Naruto opened his mouth to speak, only to stop when he glanced out of the car and spotted that long black hair he instantly recognized even across the street. 'Hinata.' He almost whispered her name.
He gazed further and noticed that she just came out of an establishment- a restaurant, to be exact, called Ichiraku's- with someone, a guy, slightly taller than her. He had seen the man's face and the scruffy dark brown hair somewhere, but he didn't bother to remember when his eyes saw the man placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her through the crowd.
"Naruto? Is everything alright?" Sakura's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"H-Huh? What?" Naruto said, his blue eyes still following the two as they disappeared through the crowd.
"You said you're going to tell me something." Sakura followed his gaze, confused at his sudden change of behaviour.
"O-Oh. Yeah.. Well, I... You know what.. I already forgot." There was a smile, a short-lived one, and Naruto roughly stepped on the gas.
Sakura stared at him for a few more seconds, studying his features. She wanted to yell at him for leaving her hanging like that, but the way he unconsciously glowered at nothing in particular made her think twice. She reached for the seat belt and decided to strap herself in. "O-Okay."
Oooxxxooo
She lightly kicked the door open and headed straight to the kitchen, where she freed her one arm from the grocery bags and placed them carefully on the counter. Menma, who was sleeping soundly on her other shoulder, shifted on her hold, and she was again reminded of how sore that other arm felt.
"I want daddy..." He whined in his sleep.
"Shh.. Go back to sleep, honey. He'll be here when you wake up." She lied. With Sakura back, she knew he wouldn't be around anytime soon. Hinata looked at her son with sad eyes, as she laid him on the couch and turned to close the door.
The house was quiet without her sister around, she thought, as her eyes wandered around the small apartment room, with just the muffled noise of the road's traffic the only sound she's hearing.
'She said she'll be home late, but where's she, anyway?' She asked herself as she walked down to the bedroom with her arms raised up, stretching a few tired muscles.
With a black tank top and her sweatpants on, she walked back into the kitchen and started to unpack the groceries, placing each of them quietly on the shelves. She was on the third bag when she noticed a few items she didn't remember buying- a bottle of cranberry juice, a few cans of beer... an adult magazine?
Digging into the bag deeper, she found one item that told her who the bag belonged to. So, she grabbed her phone and dialled a number, and soon, a man's voice answered.
"Kiba-kun?" Hinata softly called for the person on the other line. "Y-Yeah, I guess I got our bags mixed up. Sorry about that. I just found out when I saw the dog food... and your porn magazine." She almost laughed out loud. "I-It's alright. It's probably my fault. I just grabbed them without checking." Hinata's eyes gazed down at Menma, who was still sleeping soundly on the couch. "He'll probably look for it when he wakes up. But it's okay-" She paused for a bit, and her eyes searched for the clock. "Oh, is that alright with you? It's already late. Hmm.. A-Alright.. I'm really sorry you have to drive all the way back... Okay, I'll wait for you, then. Thank you. Take care. Bye." Hinata hang up and returned the items back inside the bag. Grabbing her phone again, she found a message from Hanabi telling that she was on her way home.
"Ugh, finally." She yawned, feeling all the stress from today's work starting to take effect. She had a long day at work, and it could have been a very tedious commute from Ichiraku's to the supermarket, to her cousin's house to pick up Menma, if not for Kiba who happened to visit her that day at work. Maybe she could get him something, like a new key strap, as thanks.
She carefully picked up Menma from the couch and carried him to the bedroom, only to hurry back when she heard a knock on the door.
'Is it Kiba-kun? Probably, because Hanabi has her key. But he can't be here that fast.' She thought to herself, as she walked toward the front door. 'She didn't lose her keys again, did she?'
She frowned as the knocks became louder this time. 'Definitely Hanabi.' Wiping her hands on her pants, she grabbed the knob and opened the door rather brusquely. "Don't you have your keys-"
Her expression turned from annoyance into a complete astonishment, when she saw the person standing right outside her door. His sudden presence surprised her, enough to make her almost squeal.
It wasn't Hanabi. It wasn't Kiba, either. It was someone she totally wasn't expecting to be around, but deep inside, she knew she didn't mind it the least.
"No, I don't. Maybe it's about time you give me one."
She watched as he ran a hand through his bright yellow hair that was damp with sweat for running up the stairs. That wide smile that lined his face made her heart flutter, and the way his blue eyes gazed down at her sent chills down her spine. Her breath was shaky when she called his name. "N-Naruto-kun.."
1 Not really sure how child support works, but I read private agreements are allowed. I hope I'm making this as realistic as possible.