This chapter is dedicated to missmridvika for being awesome. :)
–
I rang the doorbell as I stood nervously in front of her gated house. Ino Yamanaka's house. As I waited for the gate to open, yesterday's event went over to me again. I couldn't believe that she was back.
I had to be honest, the idea of coming into her house today was a nerve wrecking idea. I wasn't confident about this at all, which was rare because I had always been confident. Why did I come here? I had no idea.
The gate opened by itself as I drove in. I parked my car close to the backyard as I waited for the front door to be opened by one of their maids. The maid looked at me head to toe.
"I'm Sasuke Uchiha and I'm here to see Ino Yamanka," I said in a stoic manner. "Is she there? I'm one of her colleagues."
She seemed to recognize my last name that's why she let me into Yamanaka's home. "Please have a seat, I'll call her."
When the maid was about to head upstairs, Ino stepped out of a room. With Neji Hyuuga. Why would he be here at seven in the morning...in a casual clothing? He didn't spend the night here, did he?
Right after she stopped smiling at Hyuuga, she noticed me. About damn time. Ino glared at the maid who let me in. "I'm sorry miss, he said he's a colleague of yours that's why I let him in," the helper said, almost scared.
"Why don't you get my colleague here a tea?" she told the helper as she looked at me. The helper hurriedly walked away from where we were at. And then she continuously stared at me for a moment before speaking again, "To whom do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Uchiha?"
"I came here to talk," I was surprised that I was able to say that without my voice breaking. Ino became more intimidating after not seeing her for three years.
This time she smirked at me then looked at Hyuuga, "You can go now, I mean I know you're needed by your uncle. I'll be okay – let's just meet up later, Neji."
Hyuuga just nodded as he kissed her in the cheek and then he headed out. Ino walked up to one of the empty seats across me. "So what did you wanna talk about, Mr. Uchiha?"
"I wanted to go after you," I said directly, I wanted to cut all the bullshit. "...but I couldn't."
"Because you had no balls," she retorted with her normal attitude. "And because of that, I was hurt by you."
"When you left, I realized how much I needed you," it felt good being honest for the first time in more than three years. "But I was afraid that you might not want to see me."
"You didn't take the risk," her eyes were sharper. I felt guiltier by being a coward. "That's why you have to suffer the consequences."
I decided to keep silent. She was right, I deserved this.
"Mr. Uchiha, you know where the door is," she stood up from sitting down. "I also need to take my leave now because I still have some business to attend for my father's company. And please never ever bother me again; you didn't bother then, I don't see why you should bother now."
She was ready to walk out but I grabbed her arm and something unexpected came out of my mouth, "I love you."
I stood up as well, not letting her arm go. "I always have, that's probably why I was almost going crazy when you left. You've always been on my mind and I've regretted that I didn't try harder to make you stay."
"When I saw you last night at the convention, I was surprised but mostly happy because I didn't think I'd see you again," I continued, it felt great that I could say these things after all this time. My chest felt much lighter. "Last night, I wanted to hug you tightly and tell you how happy it made me knowing you're back... but you weren't as thrilled seeing me again. Your eyes told me how much you despised me."
She jerked her arm from my grasp, "Are you finished with your speech? Because I have more important business to attend than listen to your bullshit."
With that, she walked away without looking back.
–
"I would probably have done the same thing if I were her," Itachi told me, not making me feel any better. "Sasuke, you told her three years ago that you were getting tired of her. Man up accept that it was definitely your fault."
"I barely see you and this is how you're gonna cheer me up?" I questioned him filled with sarcasm. "Way to go, big bro."
"Don't you find it funny that the first time you met her was your sixteenth birthday and she absolutely forgot who you were two years later?" he tried to piss me off more. "And now, five years since the first meeting, she didn't believe you when you confessed your love to her."
"Shut up," I was getting annoyed. If I knew he'd be like this today, I wouldn't have told him anything. "I wasn't confessing, I was telling her what I felt."
"However you say it," Itachi rolled his eyes on me. "But isn't she Neji Hyuuga's girlfriend? I mean as you said, he most likely spent the night in her room plus he was with her for three years. He visited her in Monaco many times when she lived there."
"Are you done getting my hopes down?" I was more annoyed than ever, he really needed to stop stating facts. "Seriously Itachi, get the hell out of my office before I beat you up." Without having said anything, he walked out of my office. This was better before I'd vent my anger on him.
Unfortunately, that didn't cross my mind – what was going on between them never crossed my mind. Basing on what I saw earlier today, Hyuuga seemed important to her. And didn't she like him when we were in college? Fuck this, somehow I didn't want to face the reality for now – I had lost many people already, I couldn't afford completely losing her too.
–
Running away from reality it was. I found myself sitting with Juugo and Suigetsu in a luxurious bar that didn't have many people making too much noise. I would normally hang out with those annoying losers Kiba and Naruto but they had to go somewhere today. Juugo and Suigetsu graduated from my school and I happened to bump to them tonight and asked me to sit with them.
"You're in a bar during a weekday?" Suigetsu asked me in disbelief. I had never gone out a lot during weekdays because I had no time to do so since the company was busier on weekdays. "You're not suicidal, are you Sasuke?"
"Something just came up," I retorted as I sipped down the rum. "And I messed up."
"But you don't mess up," Suigetsu pointed out almost positively. "You're Sasuke Uchiha."
"Is it because Ino Yamanaka is in town?" Juugo questioned with the calm and quiet voice that he always had. "I saw her in the meeting that I attended to today. Neji Hyuuga picked her up right after."
I nodded. "Yeah, because of her."
"Isn't she the super rich hot chick you were madly and crazily in love with during college?" Suigetsu didn't ask, he stated it – in a pessimistic way. "Dude, like, everyone in our school thought you were really gonna marry her...but didn't she disappear in the middle of first year?"
"It was my fault why she left the school."
"Man, you like, became a bigger douchebag when she disappeared," Suigetsu looked at me as he patted my shoulder. "But that's okay dude, you just have to win her back now from that dick – Neji."
"My sources said that they became really good friends while she was in Monaco," Juugo told me. "Although, my sources haven't confirmed if they are dating or not but as seen earlier when he picked her up, she seemed a little too attached to him."
She was very attached to him indeed – and for Ino to trust someone as she did to Hyuuga, he must be a big deal for her. Maybe because he was there for her, and I wasn't.
–
I updated after two weeks! Isn't that awesome? I know, Sasuke's POV is lame but I needed him to narrate the story. :)
