Chapter 5:

how we began

I didn't think he would take me as seriously as he did. Every time I got to chemistry class, he was there in his seat waiting for me to walk through the door. It didn't seem like Sakura cared about the breakup because she immediately started dating Naruto's quiet friend, Sasuke, afterwards. I was confused as to what exactly was going on between us. Naruto and I weren't dating, but he stuck to me like gluewhen he saw me around school. That's where our relationship stayed. Inside of school.

Today, however, he looked at me with a playful smirk whenever I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. I knew what he was implying, but I wasn't just going to give him my phone number without the question. Then once the class ended, he surprised me by simply taking the phone out of my hands and putting his number in my contacts. He didn't ask for me to do the same.

"Just text me when you feel like giving me your number." He said, winking before leaving me there staring down at his name in my contacts.

Maybe Naruto wasn't so bad. He was awfully nice the past week, opening the door for me to get into class, complimenting me, never speaking of Sakura since he told me he broke up with her. It was all too good to be true, so I still had my doubts, but every single time I seemed to shy away from him, he figured out a way to make me smile. Whether it was his stupid jokes or his clumsy actions.

I laid on my bed staring at my phone again. Just contemplating whether I should text him or not. I thought that I would be texting him too soon if I did, but I couldn't resist it. I wanted to continue talking to him, I wanted to feel his positive aura radiate on me. It took me a minute to think of something good to say, but settled for a 'hey.'

He responded quickly, in less than a minute actually, which made me get even more excited.

"What are you doing?" He asks after his first reply. I bite my lip, thinking my words over.

"Laying down. You?"

"Nothing. Just happy to finally have your number."

I blushed deeply at the words that made me believe he must've really wanted this for a long time. I was just as happy as him, yet embarrassed to think that I was so needy.

"I'm glad…" I reply, feeling at a loss of words. Then, a ball of butterflies fluttered within the pit of my stomach the moment I received his next message.

"Wanna hang out right now? I miss talking to you."

I was beet red as I typed back, "Didn't we just talk a couple of hours earlier today?"

"Yeah, it doesn't matter though. I want to talk to you all the time,"

"Oh. Okay. I guess we could."

"Great."

With that, we both set out to meet at the beach, in an area with giant rocks piled up high by the waterside. We both coincidentally liked the spot because it was secluded, the rocks formed a huge wall away from the people that roamed the park and beach. It was windy out, almost cloudy, but not enough to guess it would rain. It was still late winter, so the sun was hard to enjoy through the thick clouds.

We sat on the large boulder, looking out at the water move along with the wind and birds that would scoop up small fish into their beaks.

"Well this is definitely better than texting." He smiled at me, leaning back on the palms of his hands and stretching out his legs. I nodded in return, looking out at the scenery.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked. He was quiet for a long moment. I figured I'd give him some time to say anything, it was a tough question after all. We were all alone, sitting by the water on a cool day. It seemed perfect.

"Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

"There's not much to tell, really."

"Come on, you must have some things to say about yourself." He nudged me and gave me the usual reassuring smile he gives me. I swear I never see him frown.

I sighed, "I guess…" It was hard saying anything to him because I was so afraid of what he would think of me.

"Come on." He looked into my eyes and I couldn't look away. I felt my cheeks burn slightly and looked away with a tiny shy smile.

"I like to paint...I might want to become an artist, but I don't know if that would get me anywhere."

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" He enthused, "I think that's really amazing, I can't draw for my life. I'd love to see your artwork some time, Hinata."

"Sure...although I don't know if you'll like it."

"I know I will."

He would make eye contact with me when he could, making me more and more nervous. At first, I was at ease, but now I feel like he's starting to break through my shell slowly, and I'm afraid of what will happen if I let him come any closer. I hope he feels the same way I feel for him and that this isn't another cheap trick.

"Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you about me. I'm pretty ordinary."

"No way. You're gorgeous. You're a beautiful painting yourself." He was serious, and made sure that I got the message loud and clear by staring into my eyes without a single blink. I felt like my blushing was getting to a dangerous point, and I think he noticed I was getting light-headed because he scooched over closer to me and pulled me to lean on him. I didn't want to say anything or ruin the moment. We simply sat there in sweet silence.

After our short date he walked me home and kept telling me funny stories about his family, an uncanny one at that. Just like him. Naruto is so different, so full of life and so perfect in every way. I found myself falling even harder for him the longer we spent together. When my mom opened the front door for me and saw him standing there, she immediately gave him a cheeky smile and screamed at the top of her lungs for him to come in.

She remembered him from the time we saw each other at the hospital, another weird coincidence. I was hoping my mother wouldn't remember his face because she can be a little too intense with new people. And my dad, well, all he does is tell horrible puns. I must admit Naruto did well at laughing at every one of his horrible jokes, but I could tell he was struggling.

"Alright guys, let him breathe! He has to go home!" I yelled, and with sad looks they said their goodbyes and told him he was welcomeback anytime. I wanted to hide in the closet the whole time.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Hyuga. I'll try to come by again soon. Bye Hinata!" He waved goodbye and I returned the gesture with a soft smile. I felt a certain warmth in my chest when we bid our goodbyes. I watched him from my front door as he walked off down the street and blushed, thinking of our date.

In that moment I knew I had to paint something for him. I wanted to show him my true colors, who I am and who I want to be. I want him to notice my talents and that I'm not just some lonely girl who sits quietly in class every day. I wanted him to be impressed by my work, so I decided to paint the most beautiful picture I could think of. I wanted to paint him.