Where will their relationship go? Is it even a relationship? Read and find out...

o.O.o

Chapter 7

Naruto had heard somewhere that it took sixty hours minimum to fall in love with someone and he wondered if that was happening to them. This last five days with Sasuke had gone over the sixty-hour mark and his stomach churned whenever he thought of the raven. He caught himself blushing on more than one occasion when he thought of the satisfying sex they'd had.

Their days were filled with fun and activities. They did bike riding and archery, and Naruto managed to drag Sasuke to the ocean, where the raven ended up looking like a lobster (Naruto had had to coat the burnt back with Aloe Vera and Sasuke had turned it very sexual). On his final night, Naruto and Sasuke went to the bar for a drink and Tsunade had sent the pair a knowing look. They then went back to Naruto's room and spent the night eating chips and watching movies that Kakashi had provided. It had been a calm night and was followed by slow and sweet sex.

Now it was time to go. Naruto had just finished packing his bag and surveyed the room a final time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything and looked down at his bag. Sasuke had borrowed some clothes and hadn't given them back, but the blonde wasn't going to ask for them back. Likewise, he had one of the Uchiha's blue shirts and he had no intention of handing it over. He wanted a memory of the raven for when he went home. Unfortunately Sasuke was staying at the resort for two more days, as he was also booked in for a week, and Naruto feared that the man would find someone else in that time. I have to trust him. This has changed from a mere fling.

There was a knock on the door and Naruto opened it to admit the object of his thoughts. Sasuke entered with his phone in one hand and a purple flower in the other.

"Hey," Naruto said quietly.

"Hi. You're leaving now?"

"Yeah. I was going to stop by your suite on my way out."

Sasuke held out the flower. "This is for you." Naruto smiled and took the flower, tucking it behind his ear.

"How do I look?"

The raven laughed. "You look beautiful." He looked at the ground and bit his lip. "Do you want to trade numbers?"

Naruto blinked. "Ah, sure."

"Yeah, I was thinking we could go out sometime." Sasuke handed over his phone and continued to look at the floor. Unaccustomed to the nervousness, Naruto fumbled around the phone to add in his number and almost dropped his own phone when he gave it to the raven. The awkwardness had passed and they clutched their respective phones, thinking back to the days they'd spent together. Why did it have to end?

I'll really miss him. Maybe I should just say something now… no, I should wait. I don't want to rush this.

"Well, I'll see you later." Naruto shouldered his back and smiled lopsidedly. Sasuke sighed and leant close, kissing the blonde deeply. Their lips were locked for a good minute and they treated it like their last kiss, in case they didn't meet up somewhere down the track. I don't want this to be our last kiss.

Sasuke pulled back. "Bye. It's been… yeah."

"It has." Naruto looked away awkwardly and pushed past, walking up the path and away from the Uchiha. He glanced back, unable to stop himself, and locked eyes with Sasuke. They shared a sad look and Naruto turned, each step feeling heavier than the last.

o.O.o

"It is good to be back!" Naruto declared, stepping into the restaurant for the first time in a week. It was early in the morning and Gaara, Kiba and Sakura were the only other ones there. Others would be arriving later in the day as business picked up.

"Welcome back," Kiba grinned, brandishing his spatula. Gaara nodded from where he was mixing the eggs benedict sauce and a small smile graced his face. Sakura stuck her head into the kitchen and laughed.

"I wondered how long you'd stay away," she snickered. "So what happened? You've got this glow about you."

"Oh, I just had a good time. You were right; I needed the break. So has anything happened since I last called?" Naruto grinned at Gaara. "And try not to kill Neji again. It's not good for business."

Gaara smiled sheepishly. "Maybe next time he'll knock."

Sakura checked the time. "Nothing bad happened. Tenten got the hang of the Bill Book and she's bringing it in when we open at seven. We're expecting Shino, Hinata and Lee in at eight and everyone else at midday. Me, Kiba and Gaara are off at lunch but we'll be back later on tonight." She grinned girlishly. "Then we can check this glow out."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, let's just get to work. I hope you didn't get too used to working without me."

So they got to work preparing for breakfast. Tenten arrived as promised and handed over the Bill Book happily, returning to her usual spot on the front desk. Kiba and Gaara started on many of the things they'd need to prepare for breakfast – French toast, bacon and egg sandwiches, pancakes, bruschetta, omelettes, frittatas, wraps, and many more. Naruto and Sakura did an inventory and did last-minute cleaning before opening. Hidden Leaf was popular and there was a decent crowd by nine, with mostly workers and young families being served. Shino, Kiba and Gaara worked to keep up with the cooking; Naruto, Sakura and Hinata flitted around taking orders; Lee worked at the coffee machine and made all the beverages. It was buzzing with activity as the locals stopped in for breakfast before work and the staff worked hard to satisfy everyone. I thought the holiday season was supposed to be over. Lunch and dinner will be worse.

Lunch was indeed worse than breakfast with an increase in customers, with Ino taking over Sakura's shift for a few hours and Choji replacing Kiba and Gaara. Shikamaru arrived late in the afternoon for the dinner shift, looking as bored as always. Sakura, Kiba and Gaara returned shortly after, with Lee, Shino and Hinata finishing up. They bade their goodbyes and left for the night. Tenten also left and Naruto took over her position, leaving the waitressing to Sakura and Ino.

The night passed quickly, shutting down at ten instead of eleven. Naruto hung up the phone, where he'd been talking to a young man named Konohamaru. The man was getting married and he and Naruto had just arranged to have the wedding reception at Hidden Leaf. It was a good time to have a wedding.

Sakura came over to the blonde, balancing the wine glasses on her tray. "When's this wedding supposed to be?"

Naruto shook his head and stood, stretching. "Not for another few months. We've got one next week, right?"

"Yeah, you'd have to ask Tenten. We're all rostered on for next week."

"Awesome. I'll give her a call tomorrow morning."

He headed to the tables and helped to clear them, glancing at the closed doors. Well, the first day is over. I'll give all of them some holiday time too. Maybe a week for each person and I'll take over whatever position they have. Can I afford it? Eh, I'll check the Bill Book later. He passed by Ino and she winked, giggling.

"So did you take our advice?" she asked innocently. "You seem a bit more… relaxed."

Naruto hesitated. He'd tried not to think about Sasuke all day, as he couldn't afford distraction in the workplace, but with the late hour came erotic thoughts and fantasies. Something had to be done. Sasuke had been the one to ask to trade numbers and that was a good sign. The raven had also left the resort that morning and should be free for any phone calls he might receive. Naruto sighed. This is so annoying.

"Um, Naruto? You've spaced out. Oh my God. You met someone!" She laughed hysterically. "Hey Sakura, the boss met someone!"

Sakura stuck her head out from where she was polishing cutlery. "No way! I didn't think he'd actually do it!"

Kiba, Gaara and Choji bounded out of the kitchen. "He hooked up with someone?" Kiba shouted. "I don't believe it!" They all surrounded Naruto expectantly, wielding tea-towels and various pieces of kitchen equipment.

"So," Sakura urged, "who is he?"

Naruto bit his lip. "His name's Sasuke Uchiha. He's nice enough."

"Are you still talking?" Ino looked concerned.

"We traded numbers, but we haven't spoken since I left the resort."

"No wonder you looked sad earlier," Gaara sighed. "Did you fall in love with him?"

Naruto stared in disbelief, then slumped his shoulders. "I think so. And it's annoying, because I don't know if he thought it was serious or not."

"Well you're not going to know if you don't call," Sakura groaned, fiddling with her hair. "Why don't you call?"

"I don't know if I should." That's a lie. I definitely should, but I'm afraid.

Sakura clicked her tongue. "Yes, you should. We have tea-towels and we're not afraid to use them."

Che, any other boss and they'd be out on their ass. "Okay! Fine, I'll call him, but don't blame me if I lock myself in my apartment for the next month because I'm crying hysterically." He pulled his phone from his back pocket and glared at his employees before turning away and flicking through his contacts list. Sasuke Uchiha appeared. He pressed the button, held the phone to his ear and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Hello?"

"Hi Sasuke, its Naruto."

"Naruto! Hey! It's great to hear from you! How're you doing?"

"I'm fine. It was my first day back at work. And you?"

Sasuke laughed. "You're kidding, right? I've been bored out of my brains all day. Hell, I managed to watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in one sitting."

It was Naruto's turn to laugh. "You must've been bored." A hand tapped his back impatiently and he shrugged it off. "Do you have any plans tomorrow night?"

"Other than doing nothing, no, not really."

"Do you fancy coming to the restaurant for dinner?"

"I'd love to! What time?"

"How about around… nine. You know where it is."

"Sure, sounds good. I'll be there."

"Awesome."

"And hey, thanks for calling. I didn't have the guts."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Sasuke had already hung up. He lowered the phone and rounded on his employees. "It's official! I have a date! Who's rostered on?"

Sakura held up her hand. "Me, Ino, Shino, Choji, Gaara and Lee." She clapped her palms together. "This is exciting. I can't remember the last time you had a date."

"Neither."

There was a thump on the other side of the room and they all turned to see Shikamaru sprawled on the floor. He must've fallen asleep on the bench again, Naruto thought in amusement. The bartender looked up sleepily and rubbed his backside, disgruntled.

"What're you looking at?" he mumbled.

"Boss has a date!" Choji yelled, leaping over to his friend and sitting on him. Shikamaru cried out and wriggled feebly, but was unable to escape from underneath the checked pants. Naruto snickered. He had the best job and the best employees.