note.
I've recently come to think of PTL as a mobile fanfic, the chapters are the pretty much the perfect length to binge read on smartphones. Do most of you read online or using mobile?
Please remember to review for updates! ^^
track 38.
Liking someone you're always around is difficult.
It was especially hard when the object of your affections just happens to be gorgeous by anyone's standards.
Sakura knew that first hand.
Even though they were out of Fire, travelling down the streets in Wind instead, there would be no lack of girls that fawned over Sasuke's attention. Draping themselves over him at every chance. If it was to shield him from the rain back in Fire, it was the sun in Wind. And there was evidently no lack of sun in the Land of Wind.
The others of the fairer sex may no longer dislike her for no reason, but the fact remained that they were aware of her as competition.
Already accustomed to the fact that she was no match in terms of looks, she had since resigned from dolling herself up. Telling herself that it would have been a waste of effort over Sasuke, who rarely cared for appearances. But faced with the sheer sweeping silks that made up the traditional garments of Wind (a weakness she didn't have the mental fortitude to deny), she was tempted to try them on even if she would look like the current majority of Sasuke's fangirls.
For practicality, Sakura had chosen the hottest day of the week according to the weather forecast to don the sequinned fabrics she first purchased at the local market when she had wandered around with Naruto the day before. The two of them having abandoned Sasuke at the permanently air conditioned hotel as he complained of the heat. But it still took a desperate sense of shamelessness for Sakura to meet her boys at the restaurant in the morning when she felt others staring at her, despite it being the choice of clothing for many of her classmates.
Sitting on their usual table by the window at the hotel buffet, Sasuke almost didn't recognize who Naruto was so excitedly waving at. And when he did; a sigh of defeat escaped him. Karma was having its way with him on this trip.
How was it that liking someone you're always around is so difficult?
Ever since he started paying attention to Sakura as a girl instead of 'just a friend', he's noticed just how clueless she is.
She was dense around boys. Blind to how attractive she was. And obliviously unaware of boundaries. It triggered a word he used to associate to her in their childhood. A playground term that as a young child, he hadn't meant all too nicely.
Annoying.
Haruno Sakura was annoying.
She was especially annoying for not being able to notice his feelings when even Naruto - the dead freaking last - could tell.
"Good morning, boys." She curtsied, the skirt swaying to catch flecks of sunlight, reflecting particularly at the higher points of her chest. "How do I look?"
"The most beautiful girl in all of Fire and Wind." Naruto boasted, overdoing the gesture of pulling out a chair for her. Pushing it a little too far back along the carpeted floor.
"You look nice." Sasuke answered right after. Truly, she looked good. And he had no qualms in sharing truths. It wasn't as if she was fishing for compliments either. Moreover, it seemed to have been the right thing to say as Sakura blushed crimson. A welcome accompaniment to the light dusting of red she had acquired from the sun.
"You two are a horrible influence. My ego is going to be the size of the Jupiter soon." She sat down, ordering a coffee to cover her blushing face. Cream and two sugars. "Where do you two want to go today? I was thinking we could go to the market again. Sasuke-kun, you still haven't been." They had been blessed with an infinite amount of free time in Wind and she refused to sit in the hotel doing nothing à la Uchiha Sasuke.
He shrugged. "Sure." They had nothing planned until the evening anyway.
"I'll just go get breakfast, what's good this morning?" She eyed their plates, unsurprised to find an assortment of tomato-based dishes in front of Sasuke alongside the traditional rice and miso soup; whereas Naruto had noodle bowls stacked up along the left of his placemat. "They serve ramen for breakfast?" She asked in disgust. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to serve such a hard to digest dish for the first meal of the day had to be fired.
"Nah, it's only soba." He pouted, obviously of another opinion.
"Mmm..." She hummed, enjoying the taste of smooth milk and caffeine. A welcome wake up call. The white cream kissing the top of her lips as the cup left her touch.
Noticing the rare chance, Naruto excused himself to go ravage more food at the buffet. Kicking the leg of Sasuke's chair in the process.
"You know, Sasuke-kun; I've got something here." Sakura tapped her bottom lip lightly to not disturb the confection that sat on her Cupid's bow, leaning towards the boy; believing that Naruto was trying to help her.
It wasn't something out of character for her to do, having tried many things to try and get Sasuke's attention in the past. However, it had since become more of a teasing habit more than anything, a semi-redundant kind of routine. She would never expect any reaction from her stoic companion, having learned her lesson the last time she asked for a song.
It never occurred to her that instead of ignoring her, or maybe flicking her forehead as he may have normally done - Sasuke would contemplate playing along.
To flirt back.
He looked at her in the way same way she would look at newborn kittens and lop-eared puppies. As if she was something adorable and lovable and cute or something. And it made her want to scream as the butterflies in her stomach threatened to fly out, and the drum beat of her heart sent her pulse into overdrive. She couldn't even blame the heat rising to the tips of ears on the lukewarm café au lait.
It wasn't fair how one look from him could send her imagination running wild. Nor was it just how one compliment could make her as red as the tomatoes he loved so much.
Paired with what Temari and Naruto had told her...
There's no way... Sasuke-kun...?
Sitting down, the normally petite girl was at least a head's length shorter than Sasuke, yet, she felt herself sink only deeper under the table at the intensity of his gaze.
"Don't be annoying." He muttered. And she thought - maybe - yes, he would just ignore it. But as his hand reached to wipe the offending dot of cream off from her, Sakura visibly flinched away from his touch. Surprising both him and her.
"Sorry, Sasuke-kun." She shuffled a little higher; trying to hide her discomfort and confusion. Licking it off her lip, she stood, plate in her hand. "I- I'll just go get some food and come back."
There's no way he likes me. Sakura thought to herself, forcing herself to push what happened out of her mind. Sasuke-kun is just humoring me since the mood is good.
But how could she not think of it? The way he had looked at her with such adoration in those dark eyes was going to haunt her daydreams.
Over the months, they had somehow developed a friendship so strong that she had resigned herself from being greedy for more of his affections. She would have gladly accepted the fact that Sasuke was never going to like her back the way she did as long as she could have stayed by his side. Hope was such a great torture.
It never occurred to her what to do if he did indeed feel the same way. If Sasuke liked her back.
Where would they go from there?