"S-So this weather…it's still raining."

She actually spoke to him again.

Hinata wasn't sure if it was because she'd had that double shot espresso that morning or because he seemed to be utterly uncomfortable, shrinking into the corner of the elevator, but for the first time in months she'd actually gathered the courage to initiate a conversation with him.

...What was she thinking?

If the surprised look on his face was any indication then she'd obviously misinterpreted his intentions the previous day. He was clearly just trying to make friendly conversation the previous morning with no expectation (or desire) for her to reciprocate, yet she had to go and cross the line of no return.

So maybe a tiny, itty bitty (large) part of her hoped that maybe he wanted to be friends (or more) or even acquaintances after he'd spoken to her for the first time in months yesterday. She may or may not have spent the previous day in a blissful trance at having finally had a conversation with the man that had made her waking thoughts his home over the past few months; that is, if you could even call such a short exchange a 'conversation'. But that didn't mean she should get ahead of herself! No, he definitely didn't want to be friends with her. Should she say something else? Would that make it worse? Oh, why did he have to be so handsome? Why did she have to talk about the weather of all things?

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, struggling to salvage the conversation and her dignity to her seemingly oblivious companion.

Naruto, meanwhile, was in complete and utter shock.

He wasn't sure if it was his dashingly good looks or the fact that she seemed like a really kind person, but despite his attempts to fade into the oak walls of the elevator she'd actually spoken to him again. He looked at her with what was surely a dumbfounded expression, but she merely peered up at him from behind her navy bangs with a sweet smile on her face. Naruto couldn't tell if she was trying to make him feel better after his embarrassing excuse for conversation the previous day or only trying to tease him, but a small blush made its way onto his cheeks.

"I-I don't really mind it. I just, um… miss the sun," she ventured further when he didn't respond yet continued to stare directly at her, biting her lip softly and shaking her head sheepishly while the lightest of pinks materialized on her ivory skin.

"Y-Yeah," Naruto chuckled awkwardly, regaining his composure after an embarrassingly long amount of time and grinning goofily at her. "I've had about enough of all this rain."

Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame.

'Again with the weather,' he thought incredulously. She smiled again, nodding her head in agreement as if pleased with his answer. Oh yeah, he'd definitely need to talk to her more often if it meant seeing that smile. As she turned away from him he squirmed slightly, suddenly claustrophobic as the walls seemed to grow tight around him, beckoning him to come up with something better than the weather to talk about with her. Elevator Girl, as he'd come to call her (Sasuke threatened to punch him if he kept referring to her as 'The Love of My Life'), stood unnervingly still with eyes fixed on the doors ahead of them and seemingly unaware of any tension in the confined space.

He snuck a glance at her from the corner of his eye, noticing the way her hair cascaded down her back like a sapphire waterfall and he desperately wished he could reach out to her and stroke the long locks. 'I can do this,' he nodded his head confidently. He could still redeem himself! All it would take was a little smooth talking, a flash of his million dollar smile, and bam! She'd be head over heels for him.

"So-"

Ding!

The doors slid open seamlessly before he could voice a single syllable and she walked out quickly, leaving him sputtering and alone. He sighed and began dragging his feet melodramatically at the thought of another missed opportunity, following her to the lobby doors. If anything could make that bastard laugh, he thought irksomely, it would be Naruto's pathetic attempts to ask his mystery girl out on a date. It wasn't his fault she reduced him to a blubbering fool!

Hinata strode through the doors quickly and blinked repeatedly as the cool air hit her and made her eyes water slightly. She was tempted to walk straight into the pouring rain if it would get her away from the building faster, but instead paused to reach inside her bag and pull out her umbrella.

Her eyes widened as her hand grasped air where the handle of her umbrella was supposed to be. 'No, no no. How foolish!' She mentally berated herself as she dug through her purse, frantically looking for something she knew not to be there and had to take a moment to compose herself.

All she had wanted was to get out of that elevator as soon as possible, leaving her embarrassment behind her, and run to work before the blonde man could follow her out of the condo building. The last thing she wanted was for him to tell her that while he appreciated her attempt, he was only trying to be friendly; thus rejecting her in front of the throng of morning commuters that happened to be on the sidewalk that day.

No. She refused to let that happen.

And so, staring out at the pouring rain with a grim expression, she raised her hand into a makeshift shield and stepped out into the bitter precipitation.

"T-Taxi!" She called hesitantly, raising her hand slightly in the air to catch the attention of the bright yellow vehicle passing by. To her surprise he pulled over just a bit further down the sidewalk from her, and she began to approach just as another woman scrambled inside before the vehicle drove away. She suppressed a groan from escaping her lips. Surely things couldn't get any worse.

"What are you doing?" A voice said suddenly and Hinata squeaked in surprise and spun around quickly, looking up slightly to find Elevator Boy (Neji's eye seemed to twitch ever so lightly every time she referred to him as 'The Man of Her Dreams'), smirking down at her amusedly.

She spoke too soon, things could get worse.

"I-I, um–," she sputtered, becoming aware of how close he was to her and suddenly felt very cold. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of his body, and wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and sink herself deeply into his warmth. Or maybe that warmth she was feelings was the heated blush she was sure was appearing on her face.

He was very attractive after all, with his striking blonde hair and vibrant eyes. He was so tall, which was never a bad thing she thought as she looked straight ahead into the middle of his chest. And not that she had been looking or anything, but he seemed to be very nicely built underneath the suits he always wore.

...Not that she had been looking.

"I-I'm sorry!" She sputtered and stepped back, not entirely aware of what she was apologizing for. It took a multitude of droplets drenching her once again for her to realize that she'd stepped out from beneath the umbrella he'd been holding above both of their heads. Nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to step forward back underneath the safety it provided; not if it meant standing so closely to him again. And especially not when he was smiling at her like that.

"What are you apologizing for?" The way he chuckled as he said it confirmed to her that he was teasing her. She bit her lip and contemplated just walking away, maybe even moving to the complete opposite side of town or out of town completely, but her sense of dignity prevailed and she looked at him helplessly.

"I-I forgot my umbrella, b-but I'm running a bit late. I don't have time to go back and get it, so I was just trying to, um, hail a taxi…" she trailed off quietly, clasping her hands tightly together in front of her and wishing desperately for the cement to open and swallow her up. He laughed lightly, and whether it was at her personally or at her predicament she didn't know.

Her breath hitched as he stared her straight in the eyes and stepped towards her once again, sheltering her under the umbrella and unknowingly sharing his body heat with her. She looked away from him in embarrassment as she realized he was mere inches from her face, looking down at her with those penetrating blue eyes and a wide smile, but moments later he raised a hand to his mouth and whistled loudly.

"Taxi!" He yelled assuredly, raising an arm in a small wave and her jaw dropped slightly as a taxi promptly took notice of him and steered towards them. He looked down at her with a bright grin as if proud of his achievement, before placing a hand lightly on the small of her back and leading her to the curb as the taxi pulled to a stop. She didn't think her face could possibly turn any redder until he took the handle and pulled open the door for her, holding the umbrella above her at the sake of his own dryness until she settled inside.

"Take her wherever she needs to go," She watched as he smoothly pulled a bill out of his pocket and handed it over the seat. "My treat." he silenced her protests with a wink that made her heart flutter.

"T-Thank you." she murmured softly, looking up at him in a daze.

"And take these," he said as he shrugged off his suit jacket and laid it against her like a blanket before folding up his umbrella and handing her the dry handle. She flushed as she recognized what he was trying to do.

"I-I couldn't, you'd get soaked!" She argued vainly and attempted to push it back towards him but he merely smiled and shook his head, sending droplets flying from his already soaked hair. She held her breath as he reached over her and placed it onto the seat beside her, his earthy aroma wafting into her nostrils as he moved past her.

"Don't worry about me. Pretty girls like you shouldn't be left in the rain." He winked slyly once more before closing the door and patting the top of the car to signal to the (rather impressed) cabbie to start driving.

She peered at him through the window until he disappeared behind the morning traffic before sinking into her seat. Burying her face in her hands she tried to hide the small smile on her on her face, and despite her attempts found it impossible to ignore the tingling sensation his hand left on her back.

'He smells nice…' She thought happily as she lifted his jacket to her face and immersed herself in his smell.

"What's with the stupid smile? And why are you soaking wet?" Sasuke scrunched his nose in disgust as Naruto practically skipped through the door that evening.

Naruto responded by kicking his shoes off with a dreamy sigh, water dripping from the tips of his hair and the edges of his clothes. Sasuke rolled his eyes knowingly.

"Take a shower before you start, you smell like a fucking dog."