"I'm looking forward to seeing you there."
The words themselves were cliche corporate speak, acting as filler in polite conversation. But what was disconcerting was the sincerity in Sasuke's voice and that he looked her in the eye as he said it, as if he was making a heartfelt declaration rather than saying the most generic sentence possible.
"I-I am too." Hinata stuttered. Their interactions were giving her emotional whiplash.
"Shall we start discussing the terms of the business partnership?"
"Ah yes," she said, retrieving the contracts from her bag. She was being an idiot and reading too much into a simple interaction. Sasuke was probably just feeling embarrassed by his behavior and being overly sincere to make up for it. She needed to stop getting flustered over every unexpected comment or look or else no one would ever take her seriously again.
Hinata placed the paper copies of the current Uchiha-Hyuga partnership contract on the table and handed one to Sasuke. "There are just a few things I wanted to go over," she began, forcing herself to focus on the details of partnership. At least this was something she was certain about.
The two of them spent the next couple hours talking about logistics and marketing and revenue. As unpleasant as Sasuke could be, he was a good businessperson. He gave thorough answers to all of Hinata's questions, and understood when he had room to push for better terms and when to back off. He wasn't the type to shout or storm off if he didn't get his way, as Hinata had initially feared.
"I think that's it. Is there anything else you'd like to add or change," Hinata said, putting down her pen and reviewing her notes. Sasuke shook his head. "Great, I'll send around an updated version of the agreement tomorrow to you and everyone involved in case Neji or Itachi-san want to make any edits." After that, the final version would go to Father and Fugaku to give their signatures, and then a year-long project would come to a close.
They both gathered up their bags and jackets and got ready to leave. "It was a pleasure working with you," Sasuke said, holding his hand out to shake. "I hope to see you this Saturday at the Aburame's."
"See you then," Hinata agreed as she shook his hand. To be honest, she didn't think they'd see much of each other. Sure they might exchange pleasantries at one of the many corporate events they'd be attending, but their jobs and social circles were different enough that they'd have to go out of their way to spend time together, something she was sure Sasuke had no interest in putting the effort into doing. As she walked towards the train, her mind was already drifting to the next task she needed to complete.
A/N: It's been about a year since I updated (whoops). I had only planned on writing three chapters, but I wasn't satisfied with where I left the story last chap. Then the fic ballooned into many more chaps and gave me writer's block. And then I moved and switched jobs, so not much writing got done anyway. I hope to finish this by the end of the year, but I'm not gonna hold my breath