I'm sorry about the slow updates! I'm back in school after being off for spring break, its taking over my life haha. I hope you're all enjoying the story x

I was jolted awake by a strong gust of wind followed by a mouthful of sand. I coughed and sputtered violently. It only lasted for a moment before I was in total darkness.

"WHAT THE-?!"

"Sandstorm," Gaara informed "We must have fallen asleep on the roof."

Gaara had encased us in a sphere of sand, he mumbled some jutsu which made the sphere begin to float downwards, it slowly crumbled away as we entered the front door. The foyer was quiet, it was usually alive with several of his staff running back and forth.

"I guess we won't be doing anything outdoors today.." Gaara said

"You think?" I replied sarcastically

He rolled his eyes

"Do sandstorms happen alot here?" I asked, my voice hoarse from the leftover sand in my throat. I coughed

Gaara began to chuckle..it was the first time I saw him smile

"Don't laugh at me! This hurts!"

"Thats what you get for sleeping with your mouth open," He teased

"Shut the hell up!"

He openly laughed at me now. I felt a smile creep its way onto my face as well. Though I was reluctant to let him see it.

"Its pretty early... and not many of my staff will be in today due to the storm," Gaara noted "Feel free to go back to bed, I actually have some paperwork to get to,"

"Does that me mean we'll be cooking for ourselves today as well?"

"Oh.. I suppose so, but Temari usually-"

"I'll make breakfast." I interrupted

His eyes widened.

I had spent alot of time working in different tea houses to make money over the years. (I was often fired because I have a terrible temper) but I had developed a bit of a knack for cooking light meals and pastries. Plus... I wanted to thank him for what he did for me last night, and I'm fucking awful with words.

"Are you sure?" He asked

I nodded

"Well, alright then."

He turned to walk away, but suddenly turned right back around. He leaned in close to me

"You probably wouldn't guess by looking at me," He whispered "But I actually have quite a bit of a sweet tooth,"

Why was he acting like this was some huge secret? There was no reason for him to be whispering, the place was deserted.

I giggled

"Are you hinting at something?" I asked

He backed away

"Mei, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

He walked off

It seems like Gaara was beginning to feel more comfortable around me too...

Gaara found himself feeling a bit happier than usual as he walked to his office. Throughout last night, he kept waking to glimpse at Mei sleeping on his chest. He recalled her sweet scent, her softness... It was a first for him, he'd never been that close to a girl before. Prior to that, the most contact he'd had with a female was whenever Temari hugged him.

"Where were you last night?"

Gaara's train of thought was interrupted by his elder brother standing like a tower over him.

"What?" He stalled, acting like he didn't hear Kankuro's question and brushed past him

"Where did you go last night? You were gone all day and then you never came home,"

"...I was with Mei," He answered evenly as he unlocked the door to his office. Kankuro followed him through the door.

He could practically feel the barage of questions that were about to tumble from his brothers' mouth.

"With Mei?" He asked with a suggestive grin

Gaara didn't understand.

"Yes, Mei,"

"She's pretty weird," Kankuro noted "But then again so are you..."

"Shutup Kankuro," Gaara hissed

He began scanning over the top few sheets of the mountain of papers that sat on his desk., making a few notes here and there.

"...Soooo?" Kankuro pressed

"So what?" Gaara asked, annoyance apparent in his voice

"Do you think you'll end up liking her?" He asked "Or do you already like her?"

"Like her? Of course I like her, she's very interesting,"

Kankuro knew that him and his younger brother were clearly talking about two different things. One of the traits he loved most about his brother was his innocence about these things.

"Gaara," He said "I mean like her, as in more than just friends,"

Gaara stopped reading. Friends? Could he even consider Mei a friend yet? Last night had definitely brought them closer, but how did she feel? As far as being more than friends, Gaara had never even thought of a girl in that way before. Not that he didn't want to, he just always had more important things to worry about. He just began to understand basic friendships. A romantic relationship was a extremely unfamiliar territory to him.

"Well, I-I don't know," Gaara studdered "I really need to finish this, do you mind?"

Kankuro shrugged, and walked out.

The kitchen in this house is to die for. Its much larger and has way more appliances than any of the cramped teahouse kitchens I was used to.

"I have quite a bit of a sweet tooth."

His silky voice echoed in my mind. I guess I can see why he acted like having a sweet tooth was such a secret. As Kazekage, you're supposed to have sort of a tough exterior, right? And his appearance is pretty hardcore.. The thought of him eating a fluffy pink cupcake came to mind and I burst into laughter.

Sweet... what can I make thats sweet?...What am I good at? Most of the sweets I knew how to make, I was okay at, but there is one dish that I had gotten alot of compliments on- my crepes. I hoped I was still good at making them, it had been a while. All in all, it took me a little over an hour to make a hot stack of crepes. I even outdid myself with whipped cream and fruit. Lastly, I brewed a pot of hot green tea and I was ready to set the table... it was only after I did that, that I was faced with a problem. I was going to have to eat this with them.

No. No. Hell no. What if they don't like my cooking, and I'll have to sit here like an awkward fuck?

I basically ran from the kitchen to Gaara's office. I knocked

"Yes?"

"BREAKFASTISREADY!" I yelled before I frantically flew upstairs and hid in my room. In reality, I couldn't believe the lengths I'd gone to just to avoid being uncomfortable. Now I'll have to skip breakfast, but I was too tired to eat anyways. Gaara and I had been up late and woken up early.

I plopped down onto my bed, and wrapped the fluffy cream blankets around myself, pulling them up to my chin. I let the sound of the sandstorm's wind ease me to sleep...

Gaara really enjoyed his breakfast, (it indeed satisfied his sweet tooth) as did Temari and Kankuro. However, they were confused as to why the chef had gone AWAL. Gaara decided to go check on her before he got back to work.

He went up to her room and knocked on the door. He knocked again, and again... and again... each time with no answer. So finally he just used his sand to creep under the door and unlock it from the inside for fear that something was wrong... but to his relief, she was merely in a deep sleep. He couldn't help himself... he just stood and watched her. He couldn't stop thinking about how she felt curled up in his arms the previous night. It just felt so good having someone elses body so close to his for the first time...