The door closed with a soft click as she rested her hand on the handle. Staring at the nameplate [reading Sakura Haruno, Therapist], she took a deep breath and allowed her fingers to slip from the steel handle. Smiling at all the nurses she walked by, greeting them with a shy wave, she pulled her sweater closed as she descended the stairs to the main lobby and then out of the hospital.

Hinata had just finished her therapy session for the month, something that has become so scarce as compared to the previous year where she had to be in Sakura's office every few days.

Outside was freezing cold, yet it had not snowed for some weeks. The sky was bursting with grey clouds that rolled by without a care in the world. She took another deep breath, allowing the cold air to permeate her lungs before she exhaled and made her way to the bus stop. Sasuke wasn't able to pick her up from her appointment today, and she couldn't blame him—last minute wrap ups at the company were very common.

It didn't take long for the bus to arrive, she tapped her payment card and found herself a seat near the window. The world rolled by outside, she counted the cars, reading their license plate to pass the time, and played with her sweater. The thin fabric was not ideal for the type of weather they were experiencing, but she refused to complain about it since she was the one who dismissed her father's concerns about the weather.

Ringing the 'stop' bell, she shuffled out of her seat, offering it to a pregnant woman and her child with a kind smile that actually reached her eyes. Her eyes lingered on the woman's stomach for just a moment as she stood there and waited for the bus to come to a full stop.

Thanking the driver, Hinata pulled her hoodie over her head and entered the apartment complex. The office was closed today, her eyes read the notice as she collected her mail from the P.O. box. Sifting through the envelopes in her hand, she smiled as she read the familiar name of her cousin who had gone back to working abroad.

Entering the elevator, she pressed the button to her right as she occupied herself with reading Neji's letter. He had taken the time to inform her about what he was up to both for and outside of work. Of course, there was the usual inquiry about how her health was improving and if Sasuke had been giving her any trouble which made her laugh.

Pulling out a set of keys, she opened the door without lifting her head from the letter. Walking in and flipping on the lights, she took off her shoes and left the remainder of the envelopes—all addressed to Sasuke—on the counter. The apartment wasn't her own, she had long since moved out of her last home and into a much bigger and nicer one with Sasuke.

It took a few months, a lot of reassurance really, for her to finally build up the courage to ask him if he'd like a roommate. Sasuke wasn't one to deny her anything, so his agreement should have been obvious, he did suggest that they move into a new unit together that would allow her to have her own room for when she wasn't up to sleeping in the same space.

Occasionally, she did relish in the fact that she was allowed her own space to process the things she's gone through without making it hard for Sasuke. It was healthy, and it was appreciated every time he silently understood that when she wasn't in their shared bedroom, she was not to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary. There were some moments where he'd have to barge in and make sure she was alright, but they had been less frequent as her therapy continued.

The ring of her phone caught her attention as she slipped out of her outside clothes into something more comfortable. Curling up on the couch with a blanket drawn over her shoulders and the television on some soap operas, she answered it with a smile on her face.

"Are you home?"

"Hm." She pulled her knees to her chest and threw her arm around it as she wiggled her toes inside her socks.

"Great, should I pick up anything?" She heard him clicking in his seatbelt as the engine of the car came to life. Hinata closed her eyes and listened to his voice as he continued talking. "I was thinking of dropping by your father's house or something, but that was a passing thought and not a solid idea."

"You can if you want, he should be home."

There was a moment of silence, "I'll be home in a few minutes."

"I take it that that's a no."

"Too tired now that I think about it." She could almost see him shrug his shoulders.

"Get home safely then."

"Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"What store is open today, Sasuke?"

"Fair point. I'll see you soon."

"Okay." She wasn't in a rush to hang up the phone, only doing so when the blaring sounds of car horns became too cumbersome to listen to.

Sprawling out on the couch, her head being the only thing visible as she focused on the silly show that was playing, Hinata's body relaxed until she was trying to fight off the sleep that was beginning to attack her. Grumbling about being too lazy to get up, she closed her eyes for a split second.

Having no recollection of ever falling asleep, she woke up to the sounds of kitchen utensils and running water. The apartment smelled of cooking food, making her stomach rumble in embarrassment as she stood up and approached the kitchen.

He barely looked up from what he was doing as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Look at you." She laughed as he rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I managed to convince you to pick up cooking."

"I didn't have much of a choice." He bit back, ignoring the tugging of his lips as he tried to suppress a smile. "One of us has to cook while the other sleeps the time away."

She waved a lackadaisical hand as she took a seat at the table and watched him cook. "I didn't mean to, it was a short nap and the room was the perfect temperature for me to wrap myself under a blanket."

"Whatever you say, Hyūga."

"Oh come on, Sasuke." But she laughed anyway. "You're addressing me like you're addressing my cousin, you'd think we weren't dating."

"It's cute."

"It's not."

He shrugged, "that's what you think."

"If it's cute, that means you've been flirting with Neji…" His silence made her smile. "Exactly, and we all know that you don't necessarily have a thing for the same gender."

"You never know." He pulled the tray of macaroni out of the oven and waved his hand over it as if that would aid in its cooling process.

"Oh? Is there something you'd like to tell me? Are we breaking up because you found a man who you like better?"

The urge to roll his eyes again was very strong as he began serving her some of the food he prepared. Placing the plate down in front of her, he leaned down and waited. Hinata raised her head and kissed him on the cheek as she pushed him away slightly.

"It was a joke." Warmth blossomed in his chest as he too prepared a plate for himself. Placing it on the table, he went to the fridge and pulled out a chilled bottle of champagne.

"I know it was." She watched as he placed a champagne glass beside her and filled it up to the perfect height.

This time he did roll his eyes as he finally took his spot across from her. "How was therapy today?"

"Better. No relapse, no outburst, just a few tears when we went over the nitty gritty stuff, but otherwise, good." She nodded. "And work?"

"You'd think I wouldn't be working on New Years but what do we expect from Itachi." He gave her a lopsided smile, "it was alright. The workload was less this time around, I suppose hiring new assistants was a great call on my part."

"I hope those assistants get more time off for working during the holidays."

"I already arranged for their vacation."

"Does Itachi know?"

"What doesn't hurt him makes him stronger."

Hinata laughed as she took a sip from her champagne. It was the non-alcoholic kind, and it surprisingly had a very nice taste. She hummed in approval as she continued eating her food. "Happy New Year, by the way, I forgot to say it this morning."

"Happy New Year." He nodded.

They ate in silence for a few more minutes, nothing was heard except the tinkering of their forks against the porcelain plates. Neither of them broke the comfortable silence until Hinata stopped as she poked the remaining piece of steak that lay on her plate.

"I love you." She said in a hushed voice.

Sasuke froze, his fork hovering in front of his mouth as he stared at her with widened eyes. She had never really said it before, it was a word that was hard to leave her mouth unless she really meant it. His eyes softened as he lowered his fork. "I love you too."

She looked up at him and he could see the exact moment where she truly absorbed those words and believed them. Her shoulders sagged and her eyes sparkled as she nodded with a soft smile on her face.

Hinata was happy. And so was he.