A Walk in the Park-

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto!

Chapter Two-

Almost Date

This guy, Sasuke… He was something else. I'd actually taken a notice to him weeks before today. He was hard to miss with his drop-dead-gorgeous looks and his sidekick, Luna was almost as pretty as him. There were times I caught my eyes drifting from the pages of whatever book I was reading at the time to glance over at the pair.

He seemed as active as she was, sometimes jogging or throwing ball with her. I'd never anticipated being tackled by that big ball of fur though, and actually speaking with that breathtaking specimen.

And to think such a short conversation could lead us to having lunch together. I still couldn't believe I'd agreed so easily, but for some reason it just felt so right. I wasn't disappointed with my decision in the slightest.

Sasuke led us to a café not far from the park, called Mae's. I'd been there before, but I thought it considerate of him being it was a place we could eat outdoors and enjoy lunch with Luna as well. He really did think a lot about her, that much was obvious.

Once we arrived and took our seats, a server appeared. We both ordered water and after it was delivered asked for a couple more moments to think over our order. Once we were alone we both proceeded to glance over the menu. I already knew what I was having though. Their house salad was pretty good and I didn't want to eat anything too heavy with my long shift coming up in just a couple hours.

I glanced over the top of my menu to look at Sasuke, thankful his eyes were on his menu and not me. There was something about those obsidian eyes that just shook me to the core. Both making me never wanting to look away, and yet unable to keep looking. I'd never been so attracted to a guy before and I couldn't help thinking that Luna played a major part in that, with the way those two were together.

It was cute.

He caught me staring and I immediately looked back to my menu, blushing for the umpteenth time of the day. How embarrassing!

"I'm going to get the bacon and egg sandwich. What about you?" He asked, his amusement coming through in his tone.

He certainly had a way of keeping me flustered. "Um, the house salad. It's really good here. I get it almost every time I come."

Goodness, get it together Sakura!

I couldn't help but to scold myself. The last thing I wanted to do was make him think I was some kind of weirdo. Running off the first man who'd ever interested me wasn't something on my to-do list. I was happy though, he'd asked me to join him for lunch and that was a good sign. He had to like me, right? At least a little bit!

Sasuke put down his menu and took a sip of his water, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Do you come here often, then?" He asked and reached a hand under the table to pet Luna.

"Pretty often, yes. It's so close to the park, so I'll usually stop for a quick bite before heading home to get ready for work."

"You mentioned work before. You have the late shift tonight, right? Where do you work?" He asked and leaned back in his chair.

I wasn't sure how he could make such a casual move so… sexy, but he did so with ease. "Oh, I'm a nurse. I work at the hospital."

Telling him about my occupation only made me more curious about his own. He dressed casually, in jeans and black T-shirt. The outfit was oddly fitting for him. He appeared to be an intelligent guy, but I couldn't take a guess as to where he'd work. For all I knew, he could have just been in college.

His eyebrows raised and he grinned in interest. "A nurse? That's a very demanding job. Do you enjoy your work?"

My heart skipped a couple beats at the sudden change in his features. Gods, he was a sight to behold. "It's pretty demanding and the shifts are long, but yes. I love being a nurse."

The place was considerably busy and the server had only just returned.. We gave our orders and handed back the menus and then the guy was gone again. I couldn't help thinking being a server had to be pretty demanding as well. It wasn't long though before our food arrived.

"So, what is it that you do? Besides taking Luna for playtime in the park?" I was the one grinning now, unable to help myself from glancing down at Luna. She was such a sweet dog that I wished I had the time for one.

Sasuke sneaked her a piece of bacon and chuckled. "If anyone else heard you say that, they'd insist you were talking about someone else. I'm not known for taking part in 'playtime' so let's keep it between the three of us.

"At risk of sounding like the stereotypical male mechanic, I'm in the auto industry. I like working with my hands and pushing metal to max speeds. There's nothing like the sound of a car switching gears." He declared and then took a bite of his sandwich.

For some reason, I found his admission totally unexpected. I had a vision of him behind a desk somewhere, not under the hood of a car. This however only made my interest in him triple. My attraction to him continued to grow by the minute and I now found myself dreading the end of this… date?

Was this even a date? No way… just a couple strangers having lunch together.

"I bet you have a nice car then." I said as I finally started eating my salad. He had me so distracted that my hunger for food had completely vanished. I had to eat though, or I'd never make it through the night.

"Nice enough. It should have no problem picking you up for a date." He said and I almost choked.

I had to drop my fork and take a sip of water to clear my throat. That confidence was back tenfold and damn it, it only made me like him more!

"D-date?" I stammered, unsure what else to say.

"I'll most likely see you at the park, but I would like to take you out sometime. Properly." He smirked.

That smirk. There was something about it that was oh so sinful and yet beautiful at the same time. My heart changed rhythm as if it were on a rollercoaster with each second I was with him. I didn't want to jump the gun or anything, but I was definitely interested. There was no way I'd turn him down.

"Guess we'll just have to see about that."

With Sasuke so kindly sharing his food with Luna, he'd finished eating much sooner than me, especially considering I couldn't concentrate on my food with him across from me. I felt a little sad once I'd had my fill. A part of me really, really didn't want this almost-date to end. I enjoyed his company, and Luna's as well. However, a glance at my watch had me realizing I only had a little over an hour before my shift started.

I had to get home and get ready and if I was going to make it in time, I'd have to take my leave. This disappointed me greatly. I was having fun, more fun than I'd had in a long time. Aside from my time at the park, all I did was work. I never took the time for my friends, even though I knew I should have. This was different though, I was almost on my first actual date and I really liked this guy.

Saying goodbye wasn't going to be fun.

"I really have to get going. I enjoyed having lunch with you, and Luna." I told him with a smile as I went about opening the small clutch I carried with me for some money.

"Oh no you don't. Allow me." He insisted and pulled out his wallet.

If he payed for me then I was totally considering this a date! Not that I would say that to him, but it would forever be a date in my mind and heart. And to me, it was a perfect date. Even our time at the park was fun for me. Even though I was certain I'd see him again, I was already dreading not seeing his face until whenever that next time may have been.

I'd be at the park tomorrow, but would he be there? I wondered how long it would be until our paths crossed once more.

"You really don't need to do that!" I said, waving him off before reaching over to put a twenty in his hand. "I'll pay this time… and if there's a next time… I might think about letting you pay."

His hand felt nice against mine, but I didn't allow myself to linger. I pulled my hand away to place it atop Luna's head and give her a soft pat.

"Thanks again you too, see you!" And with those as my final words, I rushed off, afraid that if I didn't I wouldn't be able to bring myself to leave.

Sasuke called after me, but I didn't turn back around. If I didn't hurry it up I'd be late for work, and I was never late.

Once I was home, I hurried inside and changed into my scrubs. It was springtime, and warm outside but I'd still carry my scrub-coat along because I was always on the chilly side when I was at the hospital. My heart was racing, though not from my hurried movements. For the first time in my life, I had a feeling of exhilaration. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so excited about something.

Maybe this was the start of something wonderful…

Miraculously, I made it to work on time, and not with a moment to spare. Working in the operating room was usually hectic. There was a lot of walking involved as I seen to one patient after the next and then there was a lot of sitting at the nurse's station. Reporting every minor detail was probably the most annoying part of my job, but it was completely necessary.

I liked being with my patients and seeing to their needs, whether it be comforting them with their medication, or with an extra pillow. There was nothing better than bringing a smile to the faces of those who'd just been through an operation. They were in pain, and some worse off than others. Just knowing that I could make them happy, even if only slightly, made me happy to do all that I could.

Work usually flew by for me, being that I did enjoy my work so much. Today though, my mind kept drifting to Sasuke. I was distracted, and time seemed to be sitting still. Was it because I was already so eager to see him again, even though I didn't even have any idea when that might be?

I let out a long sigh just as Hinata, another nurse in my department who'd quickly become a good friend of mine appeared beside me. I looked away from the computer before me, to her instead. She was giving me a quizzical look, one I'd never received from her before.

"Are you okay, Sakura? Every time I walk by you, you've been sighing… You seem a bit… off."

Unable to believe her words made me blush, I quickly shook my head. "No, no. I'm totally fine! Better than ever!"

"Oh?" Hinata asked, her interest piqued. "Something is definitely different with you…" She said, eyeing me skeptically as she walked off to continue her work.

I sighed, this time in relief. It wasn't that I didn't want her in my business, she was a good friend. Honest, and kind. But, I didn't want to go telling anyone about Sasuke. It was too soon, saying anything could spoil whatever was to come.

There was no way for me to know what would happen with us, if anything at all… but, I was excited and hoping for much, much more.

A/N:

Chapter two is here, yay!

So each chapter will change perspective. Last was Sasuke's, this time Sakura's... so next will be Sasuke again!

Thanks for all follows/favs/and reviews.

We're so glad you all like Luna! XD

Hope you like this chapter, next will be out in a couple days or so.

-Kanatyy