Chapter 1: I remember
A/N: Hello, everyone! Some of you might recognise this story; it has been abandoned for the past year and a half and now I am revising it with the help of my wonderful beta, Sommernacht. The story had originally 6 chapters out; they will be revised and partially rewritten. I apologise to all those who have read the previous version of my story before in advance. I'd strongly recommend for everyone to re-read the first chapters, even though some parts might have remained unchanged. I am currently planning for weekly updates. Thank you all for the support you have been showing for my story! Enjoy! ;D
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The pavement was leading the bass vibrations from the sound tests performed within the still unopened venue straight into the mass of bodies waiting scattered around the building, ready to party. The water vapour in the breaths of hundreds turned the area around the building misty, it was late autumn after all.
The canteen of the university, otherwise so bright and full of chatter, was now glowing dimly in cold blue lights. The student's association did often like to host the parties here, inside the canteen; the building was huge. It did already have refrigerators and some tables for improvising drink stations. Some volunteers worked upstairs at a makeshift wardrobe – they weren't hard to lure on the promise of a cool T-Shirt and free drinks at the end of their shift.
On the edge of the scattered mass, a group of four girls was standing at the entrance, wondering when the last person meant to join them would finally show up. Sakura lit up another cigarette; she was chain smoking as per usual when distressed. As if her whole appearance didn't radiate enough annoyance already, she resorted to additionally tapping her foot impatiently. Her short, pink dyed hair was doing her radiant complexion justice, contrasting nicely against her green eyes. She decided to go for a low-cut, backless red top, which showed plenty of goosebumps on her exposed back. The goose flesh attempted in vain to trap in the leaving body heat. Hinata took off her own baggy denim jacket and put it around Sakura. The latter didn't notice the gesture, still deep in thoughts.
Hinata sighed and took the cigarettes away from Sakura. Her smoking was getting ridiculous and the night hadn't even started. Green eyes turned aggressively towards her and Hinata wondered if her best friend would finally snap, but when green met slightly off-white, Sakura's eyes softened.
"Thank you, Hina", she whispered. "But seriously, now…", she continued in a pissed off tone, "this pig always likes to leave us hanging!"
Just then the doors to the improvised venue opened and people crowded towards all entrance points hoping to get inside and warm up. Queues formed but no one regarded them. Agitated chatter started filling up the surroundings, people arguing who came here first. The condensation in the air picked up tenfold.
Hinata started moving, hopping from one leg to the other in an effort to keep warm, now that her jacket was gone. Regardless of Ino being late or not, given the crowding around all entrance points they would still have to spend some time outside. Hinata wore a black crop-top with a turtleneck. She decided for the rather conservative high-rise mom-jeans look, her waist being therefore fully covered, but still accentuated by a black leather belt. Black sneakers completed her outfit. Her pale skin was free of any products but some highlighter which helped give her a rather ethereal look. Grey, one may even dare say only slightly off-white orbs were nicely framed by thick, discreetly mascara-coated lashes. The accent of her look were her plump lips, tinted by a hint of tasteful red lipstick; all, of course, courtesy of Sakura who insisted she must take this occasion to finally enjoy her life again.
She looked fondly towards Sakura, remembering how reliable her friend had been for the recent past, helping her navigate living with her trauma.
"Ah, sure!" Sakura radiated, looking for her pack of cigarettes, believing this was what the Hyūga was asking for, misinterpreting the look she gave her. Hinata got the half empty pack belonging to Sakura out of her own back pocket. Sakura's eyes widened; she must've forgotten all about Hinata's 'intervention'.
"Why not," Hinata said, grabbing a cigarette and offering one to Sakura, looking questioningly at Tenten and Temari. The brunette refused and Temari seemed to be engaged in a heated conversation over the phone, not even looking their way. No it was then. Sakura snatched one for herself more than happily. So much for that 'intervention'… As Hinata was about to light her own cigarette, Sakura disapproved loudly, claiming that beautiful women never lit their own cigarettes. She snatched her own lighter out of Hinata's manicured hands and lit the bluenette's cigarette. To this Hinata smiled fondly and returned the favour.
"Why are you the last ones out here, billboard? Is that forehead just for show? I'm freeeeziiiing!" came the dramatic voice of none other than the long awaited Ino Yamanaka.
She arrived in a deep purple, off-the-shoulder midi dress with a corseted back. Her make-up nicely brought her features out, the dramatic cat eye flawlessly drawing attention to her pale blue eyes. If she had to guess, Hinata would say the delay was caused by Ino's perfectionist side, who could not quite stop herself from removing the make-up from one eye, trying to match the other, followed by Ino's trademark "fuck it" move, where she'd go overboard with both eyes.
Now in complete formation, they were able to enter. The tickets were scanned by a rather bored student in charge of the check-in and they all got stamps applied to their inner wrist, confirming they were indeed invited should they wish to go out for a smoke and then rejoin.
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Dancing and laughing the night away, Hinata felt her skin burn under a certain person's gaze. His look was intense and he had been eyeing her for a while. All right, he was handsome. Her questioning eyes met emerald green. Both Sakura and Ino gave her the nod, confirming he didn't radiate mass murderer energy, so she let herself orbit closer to him or him coming closer to her, Hinata's tipsy mind wasn't able to discern. She was just relieved he kept quiet. She didn't know how to verbally navigate such moments. It seemed like he didn't either.
He wasn't just handsome, he was stunning – silky dark hair, elegant brows, aristocratic cheekbones and an angular jawline. She didn't get to admire him for too long, until their lips met. He wasted no time in gently biting those plump lips. Things got handsy fast. In a matter of minutes, she found herself pressed against the window of the canteen. Despite the amount of alcohol in her system, the shamelessness of the act got to her. And to her further embarrassment, this just aroused her even further. The young man smiled, her enjoyment not getting lost on him.
They had clicked, their kisses had matched in intensity – just like two puzzle pieces. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed her against the cold glass more than suggestively. The only solace she found in this situation was in the fact that the loud music would swallow the embarrassing sounds leaving her treacherous mouth. But when she briefly met his eyes, she knew he had heard every bit of it. She tried to hide her face, her forehead finding rest on his shoulder. He wasted no time leveraging that position to start exploring her neck. With her eyes closed, she could only perceive him as a mass of body heat pressed against her. A very talented mass of heat. Oh, and he smelt amazing.
"My place…?" he asked in a husky tone, to which Hinata only murmured her consent.
She felt her feet drop back on the ground and the pale, handsome stranger laced his fingers together with hers. They were gone in a matter of minutes, continuing their makeout session in the bus station, while waiting for their bus.
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He lived just five minutes away from her, in the same standard dorm layout as she did – two students sharing one bathroom and kitchen. She knew the conditions all too well. The sense of familiarity helped calm her galloping heart down. Once they had arrived at the entrance of the dorm, he pulled out a cigarette and offered one to her as well. Last chance for her to make a run if she would have wanted to. Well, looks like she wasn't leaving. They both were grateful for the lack of meaningless chatter of the other, it would be strictly business: hook-up, leave, no strings attached, right? In the end, they didn't even know each other's names.
They went up the stairs to the third floor. After he unlocked the door, their limbs became entangled again. His touches became bolder and her volume rose in response. And she seemed to be moulding according to each of his touches. He eagerly started undressing her. He couldn't think clearly anymore. Panting, he guided her to his bed. Soon, nothing was left to the imagination as their bodies were pressed together, skin to skin.
Sasuke parted her legs, placing light kisses along her thighs. She was so responsive. As he neared her core, he felt her shaking and looked up. Even with the lights off, he could see the glistening of tears. She quickly covered her face. He immediately released her thighs.
"Did I hurt you?" he panicked. She shook her head. He exhaled, relieved.
"I am s-so… sorry…" she managed to squeeze through sobs. Sasuke was at a loss about what to do and Hinata felt like she was a burden to a stranger. Her hand was engulfed by a warm, larger one.
Sasuke, well, he had never experienced something like this but her reaction sobered him up immediately and he knew he had to behave. Continuing was out of the question, as was throwing her out drunk and crying. Offering to give her comfort could come across as pushy or slimy, they barely spoke after all. He wanted to sigh and rub his face with both hands, but he knew better than that, he didn't want to seem irritated with her.
"Take your time, I'm going to shower," he said, hoping he had had enough tact. He didn't want to force the stranger into anything she would be uncomfortable with, including having to face him when she obviously had to relive who knows what memory of an ex. "I won't try anything," he continued, trying to reassure her.
Hinata was grateful for the kindness of the stranger and curled up in God knows whose sheets. They smelled of rain in a conifer forest, she thought, grabbing it even closer to her chest. The tranquil sound of the shower hitting skin and tiles managed to help her calm down. She reached for her clothes, managing to put on bra and panties back on before she stopped. Did he expect her to go in the meanwhile? Should she wait and thank him?
In her confused state, Hinata failed to feel hot tears going down her cheeks and her thoughts slowly drifting back to that incident six months ago. Her breathing got laboured. She didn't even notice the door opening and the stranger positioning himself before her, trying to grab her attention, a frown evident on his otherwise smooth face.
To be continued…