Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Really sorry for keeping everyone waiting for so long! Things has been crazy in university but I'm currently having my winter break now. Hopefully I get to write more. Anyways, here we are; the last chapter of this story! Thankful for everyone who's been so nice and supportive. This chapter is my Christmas present for all of you great people out there!
Chapter 9: It All Started With a Pretentious Story
Sakura's POV
"Sasuke Uchiha, where in the world are you taking me?"
I had an urge to smack my own boyfriend for showing up in front of my house, putting a blindfold over my eyes and literally kidnapping me. After having lectures from 9AM until 5PM, I wanted nothing more than a nice warm bath.
"Just follow me quietly." Sasuke was being his usual commanding self and I grunted in annoyance. Despite being in a relationship with him for almost a year now, I still found that side of him frustrating.
When Sasuke stopped driving and parked his car, I was able to hear hints of where we were. The sound of waves crashing to the shores became more evident when Sasuke opened the car's door and helped me out of it.
"Why are we at the beach?" I could feel Sasuke's annoyance without even looking at him when I bombarded him with another question, even though he told me to follow him quietly. He should know by now I was not the type to listen to him obediently.
Without another word, Sasuke simply continued leading me closer to the beach and I was glad the night wasn't too cold even though it was already past sunset.
"We're here." I stopped on my tracks when I heard Sasuke's words. I suddenly became nervous because I really had no clue what to expect.
What I saw when Sasuke took off my blindfold was definitely not one of the things I had in mind.
"Surprise! Happy birthday, Sakura!"
I was taken aback by the loudness from my friends, who have all gathered by the beautifully decorated beach. There was a long table with food on top of it by the side and several tall tables closer to the sea which already had some champagne glasses on top of them. Lights were decorated on the tables, giving off a fancy and calming vibe. There were also pots of white, pink and peach flowers around the place, making the whole place looking like it was out from a fairy tale.
"W-What?" I was still in shock and wasn't even sure what's going on. I heard Ino laughing at the stupid look on my face while Naruto laughed along with her. My friends back from the martial arts school, Tenten and Rock Lee, were also there. I also spotted Neji and Shikamaru, each holding a glass of champagne in their hand.
Sasuke held onto my hand and walked to my side, making me look at him in disbelief.
"Seeing how busy you are with university these days, I knew you would forget your own birthday."
Sasuke was right as I completely forgot it was my 22nd birthday. But I never expected Sasuke would put this much effort to organize a birthday party for me. He just wasn't the romantic type.
Ino came running to me with her typical overexcited self and almost screamed at my face, "Happy birthday, Forehead! So lucky of you to have such a thoughtful boyfriend who arranged all of this for you." She then looked behind to where her own boyfriend was standing with Neji. "Shikamaru should learn a thing or two from Sasuke."
I laughed in amusement as I saw Ino hopping away to Shikamaru, seemingly demanding him to be more romantic or something among the lines. Before going around to greet my friends, I brought Sasuke in a tight hug before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you for everything, Sasuke."
"Hn. It's nothing much." Sasuke's respond was as cold as usual but his actions radiated love and warmth. After giving one last hug, I went to the crowd and started greeting each and every one there.
A hectic day magically turned into a truly wonderful night. What more could I have asked for?
Sasuke's POV
"Who could have thought that the infamous Sasuke Uchiha could pull off such a romantic move?"
Neji's mocking tone didn't bother me as much as it usually did. To be honest, I was proud of myself to have organized something as cheesy as a surprise birthday party.
"It is more difficult than it seems." I took a sip of champagne as my eyes followed Sakura around as she chatted and laughed with her friends back in the martial arts school. Stalking each of Sakura's closest friends was not an easy feat at all. I was lucky enough to have received help from Ino on that matter.
"It's all worth it at the end, isn't it? Look at how happy she is." Neji was being unusually nice, which was something I wasn't used to. But I smirked in triumph as I regarded his words as compliments.
As I sighed in relief that everything went well, Neji broke the silence again with an unusual question.
"Who is that girl Sakura is talking to right now?"
My eyes went back to where Sakura was and had to think for a while before answering.
"That should be Tenten, Sakura's friend from her martial arts school. If I remember right, she should be the daughter of the school's founder." I could recall Sakura always referring Tenten as the 'Weapon Master' since she was talented in weaponry.
"Why the sudden question?" I was not the type to ask questions a lot, but it was an even weirder occasion to see Neji Hyuuga bothering to ask about a stranger.
"Just curious." Neji had a weird look on his face as he continued looking at where Tenten was. Just then, Shikamaru walked over to us and was able to sense that something interesting was going on.
"It seems like the heartless Neji Hyuuga has a crush on someone." I spoke matter-of-factly to Shikamaru who almost chocked on his drink upon hearing my words.
"Neji is capable of having a crush on another human being?!" Shikamaru was both shocked and amused, which didn't make Neji feel comfortable at the least.
"Can you two shut up with your nonsense?!" Neji looked away from the centre of his attraction, failing pathetically in hiding his embarrassment.
"Whatever, we'll just assume your flushed face was due to the champagne and not because you're embarrassed from having a crush on someone else." Shikamaru looked like he wanted to continue mocking Neji but knew better than to further enrage Neji Hyuuga. "Anyways, Neji isn't the only Hyuuga here who's crushing on someone in this party."
"Wait, what?" Neji knew there was only one more member from the Hyuuga family and it was his younger cousin, Hinata Hyuuga. It was a month after I got together with Sakura that I knew she was friends with Hinata, who attended the same medical school as her. They were good friends since having more classes together in their second year of university.
Neji tried to hide his panic as he scanned through the crowd, looking for his cousin whom he was so protective of. His expression was a mix of relief and confusion when he finally caught sight of his cousin.
"Who is that blond guy Hinata is talking to?!"
I followed Neji's glare and saw that the guy Hinata seemingly have a crush on was no other than Naruto Uzumaki. Her flushed face as she listened to Naruto talk was indeed an interesting sight to see.
"That's Sakura's childhood best friend, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Uzumaki? Please don't tell me he is related to Karin Uzumaki." Neji's horrified face made Shikamaru laugh out loud, drawing attention from some other guests.
"I've always wondered the same but never actually looked into it. Maybe they are distant cousins or something." My answered made Neji panic even more as he tried to calm down and bring out his usual rationale self.
"I will look into him later." Neji looked as if he was trying to drill a hole through Naruto, which just went on to intensify Shikamaru's laughter.
I let off a chuckle before leaving to find Sakura as there was one last surprise awaiting her that night.
Sakura's POV
I sighed contently as I took in the ocean's breeze.
I left the crowd of the party and walked to a quieter part of the beach, wanting some time to think to myself. Many things happened over the year and if I were to go back to the time before I met Sasuke that fateful night, I would never have expected I would be where I was.
Getting together with Sasuke had its own ups and downs, like any other relationships would have. After officially becoming a real couple, it didn't feel right for him to pay for my school fees as it was different from a business deal. It took a long time to finally persuade Sasuke to accept my new terms and conditions; to allow me to pay him back the amount of money he spent to cover my school fees once I started working as a doctor.
Sasuke was indeed a stubborn person but my stubbornness was not anything much less than his. This fact had brought both amusement and pain to our relationship, but I had no complains.
As I thought back to the countless memories I made with Sasuke over the year, I heard Sasuke himself calling my name from behind.
"Sakura, there you are."
Before I could say anything, Sasuke placed his jacket over my shoulder. The thoughtful gesture made me feel warm even more than the jacket itself.
"Thank you, Sasuke. For everything you've done for me." I was already starting to tear up as I wondered what I have done to deserve the man standing in front of me. He might not be the type to show up in front of my door with a bouquet of flowers or the type to sing me a song when I am down. But he was everything I could have asked for.
Without another word, Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. I grew speechless when he opened it, showing an elegant diamond necklace that was more beautiful than any I had seen before.
He took the necklace out and put the box back to his pocket before putting the jewellery around my neck. I touched the sparkling pendant in disbelief, holding it on my hand to admire its beauty. I then looked back at Sasuke and at that point, I was not bothering to even stop my tears.
"Why are you so nice to me?" I began sobbing a little, bringing a smile on Sasuke's face. He wiped away my tears before kissing me softly on my forehead.
"I love you, Sakura. And if you're planning to run away, I will think of a way to bind you with another contract."
"That is not even remotely romantic, Sasuke Uchiha." I laughed in pure joy as Sasuke rested his forehead on mine, giving me yet another gentle kiss. "But I still love you. And will always do even without a contract or a business deal."
As the two of us enjoyed our little world by the oceans, away from the crowds, I basked in nothing but happiness under the moonlight.
Our pretentious 'relationship' was the beginning of our very own love story and I would walk down this tale with Sasuke's hand in mine.
THE END
Author's Note: That is the end of 'Pretentious'! Once again, many thanks to everyone's support and I hope you've been enjoying it. Don't forget to review and share with me your thoughts on this story. I am planning on starting another story but is still searching for inspiration. In the meantime, do check out some of my other stories! See you soon!
