CHAPTER THREE: INTOXICATED
While Maki pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, she happily giggled and couldn't wait for her date. Her boyfriend Hatori called earlier and told her to meet him at a cafe they always go to together. The two have been dating for almost a year, and Maki knew that he could maybe be the one to stay with her forever.
Suddenly, the ecstatic girl heard a knock on the door. She froze and squeaked out, "Hello?" and finished pulling her pants up.
"You okay?" Maki sighed in relief when she realized it was Sasuke.
Maki opened the door and walked out. "Yes, I'm fine!"
"It sounded like you were too happy..." Sasuke mumbled. He seemed to be better from his sickness now. He kept denying it, but Maki knew that eating the ginseng helped! Or maybe it was that one spoonful of soup she made! Either way, she helped the Uchiha get better, whether he likes it or not.
"I'm just happy! I'm going out with my boyfriend today!" As she pulled on her boots, she smiled at the thought of seeing him. "He's been gone for a long time, he said something about a mission he was sent on."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "You have a boyfriend?"
"Yeah, we met after you left for your mission. I'm so...Ah!" Her face could have ripped if she smiled any harder. "You'll have to meet him soon!"
"I guess I will. Props to him for dealing with you." He teased but Maki was too delighted to be brought down.
"Wait up for me, I need someone to tell everything to!" Before he could say no, Maki rushed out of the house and walked to the cafe.
Once you got there, she looked around but didn't see him anywhere. Maki figured he was running late and grabbed seats for Hatori and herself. While she waited, Maki looked out the window and smiled at seeing the snow fall. It was snowing on the day Hatori and her went on their first date too!
"Maki right?" Maki turned to see Ino smiling at her.
"Uh, yeah." They weren't good friends, but the two met before. "Ino?"
"Yeah, it's nice to know you remember me." For some reason, Maki could hear a bit of sarcasm in her voice. She invited herself into Hatori's seat and made herself comfortable. "Where's your boyfriend?"
"He's not-..." Maki looked up when she realized what the blond girl said. "How do you know I'm meeting my boyfriend here?"
Ino smiled devilishly and leaned towards Maki. "I was there when the text message was sent."
"What do you mean?"
"He's not coming." She ignored Maki's question and ordered some pasta. "So I'm filling in for him."
"What do you mean he's not coming?" Maki tried to see whether or not she was lying. "Do you even know him?" Anger slowly built up in her body and wondered what kind of a relationship she has with Hatori.
"Of course I know Hatori!" Once her pasta was ready, she dug in. "Trust me, I know him much better then you. Order something!" Before Maki could lash out on her, Ino threw the menu into her lap. Not wanting trouble, she just went along with it and ordered chicken salad.
"So have you been out with Hatori lately?" She asked. Maki thought she was kind of rude, asking about personal things like this.
"No, he was on a mission for the past two months. I don't see why he couldn't make it today..." She poked the salad with your fork. Maki still didn't accept the fact that he wasn't going to be here today, she was just patiently waiting for Ino to tell her the truth.
"Maybe he didn't go on a mission." Ino licked her lips and looked up. "Maybe he told you that just because?"
"Just because of what?" By now, she was beyond suspicious. Maki knew something was going on, and she wanted to know right away.
"It's time you know the truth Maki." Ino put down her fork and looked through her purse for something. Maki tried to take a peek at what she was looking for."Here." She took out some pictures and spread them on the table. "I know it's hard to believe, but Hatori's cheating on you." She sighed genuinely this time.
Maki completely ignored what she said and stared at the pictures in disgust. They took pictures everywhere, and they seemed to be acting like a couple. "Wait...Cheating on me?" She picked up a photo of Hatori not with Ino, or her, but with another girl that Maki couldn't recognize.
"Honestly, I didn't know he had a girlfriend." She looked down, almost too embarrassed to look at Maki in the eye. "And it wasn't Hatori who texted you, it was me. I did it because I found out you two were going out."
"No." Maki shook her head and refused to believe it. "You're lying." Deep inside, Maki felt like she were lying to herself.
"Trust me, I wish I was lying." Ino played with the left over pasta on her plate. "He wasn't on a mission, he was visiting his girlfriend in the Rain village. That's where he met me. I was actually on a mission there and he seemed interested in me so I just..."
"Why..." The reality didn't hit Maki fully. "He really did that? Why? Why is he doing this?" She screamed and Ino covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
"I don't know either, I wish I knew..." She continued to cry and placed the money for her meal on the table. "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way."
Tears threatened to fall out of Maki's eyes. She got up and ran out of the cafe, pledging to never walk into the cafe ever again. The sun set by now, and the snow was falling hard. An hour ago, she was smiling ear to ear about seeing this man, and now, Maki wanted to rip him to shreds. She painfully walked home, suffering from the fresh scars he left on her heart. The wind stung her face and fresh, new tears kept rolling down the heartbroken woman's face.
"I fucking hate you..." Maki muttered to herself and walked into the apartment building. She whimpered at the thought of his face when he's smiling. That smile that made her so happy. The smile she looked forward to seeing today, but never got to.
Forgetting all about Sasuke, Maki unlocked the door and dragged her feet inside. Immediately, she threw your purse at the wall with all of her strength and walked over to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of sake. She went over to the table with a shot glass and poured it slowly. After, Maki gulped it down in a one shot and took off her jacket. The tears wouldn't stop as she remembered every quality and memory of Hatori. "Son of a bitch..."
"Hey, you're back. How did-" Sasuke walked out of the bathroom and stopped when he saw the condition she was in. "Whoa, what happened?"
But Maki didn't answer, in fear of completely breaking down. She continued to drink and threw her legs onto the table. "Who needs men anyway?" Maki drank the whole bottle and looked over to Sasuke. "Hey, one more bottle for the lady..."
Sasuke hesitated, but got her a bottle anyway. He poured it for Maki and she pulled away to drink before he even finished. "Now tell me what's wrong."
"Why do you need to know anyway?" Maki slurred and swung her hands around. "You men are just...Just pigs...No good pigs that should just..." She was too woozy to even complete her sentence and kept drinking.
"Did something happen with your boyfriend?" Her whole body froze when he mentioned him. Soon, her shoulders were shaking and rivers fell from Maki's eyes. Sasuke sat down next to the crying woman and her head fell onto his shoulder. He would have pushed her head away, but that seemed like the wrong thing to do in this situation.
"You're right, props to him for dealing with me. He probably got sick of dealing with me and decided to leave." Maki hiccupped as she cried and drank at the same time. "Got sick of me...Sick..."
"Hey, you're not that bad." Sasuke pushed her hair back from her face. Feeling his hands on Maki's face reminded her of Hatori, and how he would always push her hair back for her.
"I'm bad...Bad woman..." Clearly, she was heavily intoxicated. "Because I'm a bad woman...Sorry..."
"You're not a bad woman, stop saying that." He held the side of Maki's cheeks and faced her towards him. "You're great, he just couldn't realize it."
Maki's vision blurred, and suddenly, Sasuke turned into Hatori, at least in her eyes he did. "Hatori..." She leaned forward, and passed out after their lips met.
On the other hand, Sasuke was freaking out for two reasons. One, Maki passed out. And two, she just kissed him! "Shit!" He held his hands over his mouth. 'She's going to kill me when she finds out!'
He started to panic and stopped. "Wait, she can't blame me, this is her fault! She doesn't have to know anyway! It's not like she'll remember…" He tried to relax, and carried her body over to her bed. As he tucked Maki in, he caught a glimpse of her cherry red lips. "Calm down Sasuke..." He told his self and walked out of Maki's room.