Chapter Six: The Bowling Date

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The three and a half day work week was working better for Sakura these days. She wasn't so exhausted and was actually enjoying having a bit of a social life. It was easy to experience burn out if your days off were spent catching up on sleep, reading medical journals, grocery shopping, cleaning the apartment and meal-prep. She had been losing herself to the routine of it all.

Now, she actually had plans on the weekends!

Saturday morning at the hospital had actually been a nice lull after an extraordinary load over the last three days — Sakura had seen Shisui several times the previous days — there were several heart attacks and fires that kept her favorite paramedic busy. They ended up having dinner at the hospital cafeteria the last three nights in a row. And he talked about how great Ino was and she agreed. And she may have waxed poetic about Itachi and he was happy to sing his best friend's praises.

There had been a slew of random text messages that kept her amused during her shifts.

🍡 Itachi : Thinking of you.

🐖 Ino 🐖: My Insta is blowing up with those llama shots we took! We should reactivate your account so you show everyone that hot boyfriend of yours!

🐺 Kakashi 🚒: My arm still hurts. Want to help walk my dog? 🐕 How can you say no to this face?

🍡 Itachi : My father's event is formal dress. 👗👔We should look at dresses tomorrow so I can arrange a matching suit/tie.

"Wow, Itachi is pretty serious," Shizune said, smiling in amusement as she read over Sakura's text. She picked up a few charts for filing from Sakura before her shift started and Sakura's ended.

"It just feels so easy with him," Sakura said, tucking her phone into her purse.

"That's how it is when it's good," Shizune explained.

"How are things with you and Anko?" Sakura asked.

Shizune's pale cheeks tinted pink. "Funny you should ask. Do you remember that Genma fellow from the baking class?"

Sakura nodded. "Mr. February is quite the character. He certainly seemed interested in the two of you. And you seemed to be getting along with him and Kisame pretty well."

"Exactly, well, we're dating them- Genma and Kisame," Shizune explained. "It's been…interesting. Honestly, I never thought I'd be with a man again, but it's been fun. And it seems to work for us." She shrugged. "It's been easy."

"Shisui is coming by here in a bit and we're spending the afternoon bowling with some friends in a big group date," Sakura explained. "It's been a while since I spent time with friends, but these last few weeks, it's been really nice."

"Good. You're still young, Sakura and should be socializing when you can," Shizune pointed out. " I'll see you at class on Tuesday night, have a good time!"

Sakura changed out of her scrubs, showered in the locker room and dressed in a sweater and jeans. She had a pair of cute short-shorts to wear to the bowling alley that she knew accentuated her toned legs. Sakura's chest might have been modest, but she'd always had the legs and buttocks.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Shisui asked, when he picked her up. "I've got my truck instead of my bike. I figure I'll be taking Ino home and she doesn't like her hair getting tangled."

"Smart," Sakura agreed. "I've got something a little more comfortable in my duffle bag. I just want to thank you again for introducing me to Itachi. He really is just perfect."

Shisui chuckled. "No one is perfect. We all have some baggage, but he's pretty close to it. And you're a perfect match for him. I just regret not being able to introduce the two of you earlier."

He was referencing when she'd been dating his cousin. She didn't exactly regret dating Sasuke, but she regretting dating him for so long if it was going no where. "It just wasn't the right time I guess," she said with a shrug. The plan was for her and Shisui to arrive at the bowling alley together. Itachi was picking up Neji. Ino and Tenten would be coming together. If all went well, Neji would get a ride home with Tenten, Ino would ride back with Shisui and Sakura would ride back with Itachi. They would be playing musical cars.

When Sakura and Shisui arrived at the bowling alley/arcade the parking lot was about half-way packed. Shisui was eager to start playing arcade games, but Sakura was starved. "As much as I'd love to help you kill zombies, I really need to eat. I only had a boiled egg and an orange for breakfast about eight hours ago."

"Do you want me to keep you company?" Shisui asked, pulling up a stool next to Sakura and glancing up at the menu written on the large chalk board above their heads. He frowned at the selection. "Cheesy fries? Hot dogs?"

"I'll be fine. You came to have fun, not babysit. I'll find you after I finish — won't take me but ten minutes to eat," Sakura promised.

"Hm. Okay. Make sure you don't eat like a bird. Actually get some protein." Shisui stood and hugged Sakura around the neck. "I don't want you using your lack of energy as an excuse for when I destroy you on the lanes!"

"You wish, Uchiha!" Sakura laughed. She ordered a club sandwich with avocado slices and a cup of tomato and cucumber salad— really the only thing that looked remotely appetizing to her.

Shisui left her sitting at the bar. Sakura finished her sandwich pretty quick and was working on the small salad when she felt someone's eyes on her. She angled on her barstool towards the front door and was surprised to see none other than Sasuke Uchiha in street clothes enter with a pretty redhead at his side. His eyes widened, and he stopped to listen to the woman next to him briefly. The redhead hurried off in the direction of the bathroom. Meanwhile, never taking his eyes off of Sakura, Sasuke approached her at the bar and sat in Shisui's empty stool.

"Sakura, hey," Sasuke greeted. "I didn't expect to see you."

Sakura smiled at him tiredly. "Nice to see you out of uniform, Sasuke." She tugged on the sleeve of his dark blue and silver stripped button up shirt. She had bought it for him maybe a week or two before their breakup. "On a date?" She gestured towards the retreating redhead.

The tips of his ears brightened and she felt her heart flutter at the sight. He was still cute and so very shy when it came to anything romantic. It hurt a little to realize he brought a date to a public place like a bowling alley, but not as much as she thought it would. And she should have been annoyed he was wearing a shirt she bought him, but he looked good in it. It would have been wasteful to not wear it.

"I saw you on Ino's Instagram," Sasuke said, pointedly not answering her question. "You went to a llama ranch last weekend?" He asked with a chuckle. "That sounds like something my weird brother would enjoy."

Sakura knocked her shoulder against his. "Don't knock it unless you try it, Sasuke. Though, I'm lucky I made it out of there unscathed! Apparently, they can spit, but luckily neither Ino nor I did fell victim to their saliva."

"Tomato and cucumber salad?" Sasuke gestured towards her half-eaten appetizer. It was his favorite. Wordlessly, Sakura slid it towards him. He picked up her discarded fork and finished off the little bowl, as they used to do.

The bartender gave Sakura back her credit card and she signed for her meal. "I'm going to hunt down my partner in crime. I think he's probably making some ten year cry slaying zombies." She pushed away from the bar and smiled softly at Sasuke. "Have fun on your date, Sasuke. I'll see you around."

Sasuke watched her walk away with a strange look on his face, but his expression quickly schooled itself when his date appeared at his side.

Sure enough, Sakura found Shisui engaged with an adolescent in a shoot-em-up zombie game. They were working in tandem, so there were no tears.

"Oh, Sak! Good, join in! We could use another player, it's about to get a little insane," Shisui said, waving her towards them.

With a good natured sigh, Sakura took one of the tokens Shisui had set on top of the arcade game and inserted it into the slot and joined in. It wasn't long before they attracted a crowd, including Sasuke and the redhead woman.

The little boy shook his head at the game and backed away. "Sorry, Mister. I'm out of coins, and my mom wanted me back at the lanes by now, but good luck!"

The count-down began for the boy's abandoned character. Sakura glanced around frantically and spotted Sasuke nearby. "Sasuke! Grab a token and take the kid's place! We're about to face the boss!"

Sasuke's dark eyes widened and he jogged over from the back of the crowd, snatched a token, and joined in with a determined set in his jaw.

Shisui, Sakura, and Sasuke worked as an efficient team against the zombie hoards and defeated the boss. They moved on to the next level together soon afterward. Twenty minutes later, the trio had defeated the game.

"Oh man! That was epic!" Shisui ran his fingers through his wild, curly hair. He looked between Sakura and Sasuke with an ear-splitting grin. "Glad the two of you still make a good team at least."

Sasuke and Sakura shared a faint smile with each other. "Guess we do." Sakura's eyes widened when she spotted the clock on the wall past Shisui's shoulder. "We're late!" She grabbed Shisui's arm and started to pull him after her. "Sorry, Sasuke! See you around!"

"Um yeah," Sasuke murmured, his eyes also locked on the clock.

Sakura was relieved to see that Itachi had secured their two lanes. He was sitting patiently chatting with Neji, Ino, and Tenten when she and Shisui showed up, flushed from their video game victory.

"Sorry, 'Tachi," Shisui said breathlessly. His eyes landed on Ino and he smiled widely. "I hope you didn't have to wait too long for us, Ino. We got a little absorbed in an arcade game." He gestured his thumb towards Sakura. "Your best friend helped me save the world."

Ino huffed, hands on her hips. "Of course, she did. Sakura saves the world on a daily basis." She reached for Shisui's shirt front, pulled him close and kissed him soundly in front of everyone.

Neji pointedly looked away and cleared his throat, and Tenten's eyes widened dramatically at the public display of affection.

Sakura scooted up next to Itachi and she slipped her arm around his lean torso and side-hugged him. Itachi's arm fell easily over her shoulders and he pressed a quick kiss to the crown of her head. "No worries, you two. We just settled in a minute ago. We're still waiting for…"

"Hey," Sasuke greeted, the redhead trailing after him, adjusting her glasses nervously. His eyes were narrowed as he looked between Itachi and Sakura. "Do you two know each other?"

"Oh! Finally! Sasuke, you're with us guys and …." Itachi started and gestured towards the redhead.

"Karin," she supplied.

"Right, Karin, you're with the girls. We'll have a battle of the sexes for the first round. Then we can split the couples into teams. Ready?" Itachi explained.

Sakura looked between Sasuke and Itachi with a moment of confusion, but figured maybe Shisui had invited him at the last minute. And with Shisui and Itachi being close, it wasn't too surprising that he would know Sasuke. It really was a small world. It was fine. She could be around Sasuke. Hadn't they just slayed a zombie horde together? She hooked her arm through Karin's and dragged her to the girls' lane. "I'm Sakura. And these lovely ladies are Ino and Tenten," she said pointing to each in turn. "Sorry you and I didn't get introduced earlier— Shisui is a pretty demanding partner for those zombie games. Do you bowl much?"

"Not really. The last time, I used one of those bumpers down the lanes. Can I do that?" Karin asked. "Otherwise, I'll probably miss completely."

"No worries, I'll go make the request!" Sakura answered. "This is supposed to be fun and it's definitely no fun having a load of gutter-balls." Sakura hurried off to arrange the bumper, snagging Ino on her way. "You and Tenten chat, we'll be right back!"

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OoO

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Itachi didn't miss the strange look Sasuke had given Sakura or how he watched with eagle eyes as Sakura introduced Karin to the rest of the girls' team. He didn't like that his brother failed to introduce his date. "That was pretty rude," Itachi whispered for Sasuke's ears only. "You should have introduced your date."

"How do you know Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his mouth pressed into a grim line that looked extremely reminiscent of their father's scowl.

"We're friends," Itachi answered carefully. He wanted to proclaim that Sakura was his girlfriend, but it was too new. They'd only been dating for a couple of weeks. He didn't like the way Sasuke's dark eyes trailed after Sakura and Ino as they talked to the bowling alley attendant. "We met at our baking class. How do you know Sakura?"

"So! We should get started, don't you think?" Shisui interrupted the brothers and slung an arm around both Itachi and Sasuke's shoulders, coming between them, and interrupted their conversation. "Itachi, you're up first!"

Itachi wanted to protest, but he also didn't want to ruin this date with a scene. He watched as Sakura and Ino came back arm-in-arm, and noticed Sakura didn't seem too surprised about Sasuke's presence. Itachi's competitiveness wasn't about to be thwarted by the mystery and he attained a strike on his first try, much to the enthusiastic whoops and hollers of his cousin.

It was as if Shisui was purposely making sure that Sasuke and Itachi didn't have a chance to talk to each other. But he couldn't keep them apart forever, especially when it was his turn to bowl.

"So, is Karin the girl from Forensics?" Itachi asked, sitting next to Sasuke.

"Yeah," Sasuke murmured distracted, his gaze locked on Karin and Sakura where the two girls were talking to each other — a friendly smile on Sakura's face and a shy one on Karin's. Sasuke turned towards Itachi, his expression guarded in a mask of neutrality. "Are you—dating Sakura?"

"For a couple of weeks. Shisui and Kakashi played their hand at match-maker," Itachi confessed, somewhat relieved to share his good news. His attention shifted back to his girlfriend when she stood for her turn to bowl. He smiled absently at the sight of her long, toned legs in those short red shorts she wore. He'd have to make sure she had something warmer for when they left for the winter weather. After Sakura sent her bowling ball down the lane, Itachi's eyes flicked towards Sasuke's and he noticed his brother was also ogling his girlfriend's ass. He didn't like that.

Sasuke cleared his throat when he'd been caught. "We need to talk later, Aniki," Sasuke murmured.

"Yes, we do. And I will ask that you not stare at my girlfriend's ass. Focus on your own date," Itachi intoned coldly.

"Girlfriend, now, eh?" Sasuke murmured.

Itachi rose from the bench to congratulate Sakura on her score when she rushed towards him and hugged him around the waist. "Did you see that? Two strikes in a row! Today must be my lucky day!"

"Skill and luck are two different things," Itachi said, hugging Sakura back, his hands resting comfortably around her slight frame.

Sakura stepped back and smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's sometimes better to be lucky, than to be skilled though!"

"I won't argue with that," Ino said, bumping her hip against Sakura's playfully as she collected her ball for her turn. She turned towards Shisui with a saucy smile. "Hey, lover-boy, be sure to watch. I wore these short-shorts just for you."

"And I certainly appreciate it," Shisui answered smiling back. His eyes flickered towards Itachi and Sasuke nervously for a moment before focusing back on Ino, his smile never wavering.

The girls versus boys games were pretty evenly scored, especially when Karin was able to use the bumper. For the next round, Sasuke had suggested that he, Itachi, Sakura, and Karin be one team. Itachi wasn't sure that was the best idea given that his brother was acting stranger than usual.

It wasn't until Sakura split her pins and managed a difficult spare that it became exceedingly obvious that Itachi wasn't connecting all the dots. Sakura jumped up and down in obvious cheer. Sasuke was prepared to bowl after her and was standing shortly behind her when she turned around. His younger brother smiled at Sakura in a way that was truly dazzling and she threw herself at him in a hug — which wasn't that big of a deal, right? Though the sight caused an uncomfortable knot to form in his gut. "Did you see that, Sasuke?!"

Itachi had seen her hug Ino and Shisui that way earlier in the previous round. It wasn't a big deal, he reminded himself.

What was a big deal was when Sasuke wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist and dipped his head towards the junction between her shoulder and neck— as if his brother whom abhorred people in his personal space didn't mind Sakura — who he obviously seemed to know — in his space.

Sakura drew back, hardly bothered by the inappropriate display, but Itachi caught the look in Sasuke's eyes. It was a possessive look. Sakura sat next to Itachi, her face flushed with her success. "There's no way they can beat our score now, Itachi!"

"Well, we do have to subtract for the handicap of allowing Karin to use the bumper. But it was an impressive shot, Sakura," Itachi said, smiling at her softly, even though his hand was clenched into a tight fist at his side. "So, how do you know Sasuke?"

Sakura's smile faltered. "We used to date. We broke up a while ago." She shrugged. "We're friends, I guess. How do you know him?" Her eyes were wide, jade pools of innocence. "Through Shisui?"

"He's my brother," Itachi answered. "Did he by chance, call you Rose?"

Sakura nodded, her eyes growing impossibly wider. "He never wanted me to meet with his family." Her lip quivered as she started to breath quickly, looking quickly towards Sasuke where he had just finished his turn and stared back at them. She looked back at Itachi. "But your last name is Karasu," she whispered.

And now Itachi understood why Shisui didn't want him telling Sakura his last name. His cousin knew that Sakura and Sasuke had previously dated and that Itachi would never knowingly date his brother's ex-girlfriend. He must have also known that Sakura would have never chosen to date her ex-boyfriend's brother.

"It's Uchiha. Karasu is my mother's maiden name," Itachi explained. "I didn't want you to know I was part of the Uchiha Law Firm. I thought you might not want to date a lawyer. It's what Shisui had implied when he suggested my using a different surname."

Sakura laughed. It started as a quiet giggle of hysteria and then evolved into full on belly-rolls as she clutched at her stomach, struggling to breathe, panicked laughter spilling from her. "This can't be reality," she whispered, tears leaking out of the corner of her eye.

Itachi reached for her, brushing his thumb under her eye to catch one of her wayward tears. What were they going to do? Should he end things now? He didn't want to. She didn't deserve to be dumped by him and his brother. Sasuke had obviously not been interested in pursing a future with her. "Truth is stranger than fiction."

She glanced towards the neighboring lanes where Tenten and Neji were clearly into each other. Ino was sitting on Shisui's lap, arms around his neck and making out, not caring about the bowling game at all. Then she glanced to where Sasuke and Karin were talking to each other quietly.

"It was really nice to meet you, Sakura, Itachi," Karin said, smiling at them politely after noticing their attention. "I hope to see you again sometime. I have an early shift tomorrow, so Sasuke is going to take me home now."

"It was nice to meet you too," Sakura said, a fake smile plastered across her lips.

Sasuke looked between them, his hand on the small of Karin's back. "I'll see you at home, Itachi." He nodded his head at Sakura. "Good to see you again, Rose." He grimaced. "Sakura."

Sakura said nothing, but she clenched her hands into tight, white-knuckled fists over her thighs. "Do you want me to take you home?" Itachi asked quietly. Sakura nodded.

Itachi approached the other team. "I'm taking Sakura home."

"No worries, I'll take home Ino. Neji can catch a ride with Tenten," Shisui said. "You two have fun!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "You and I will have a long chat later."

Shisui granted him a shit-eating grin. "Sure, 'Tachi! We'll catch up soon!"

Sakura changed into a sweater and jeans in the ladies restroom and then offered Itachi a weak smile when she caught up to where he waited near the exit. She was paler than usual.

The drive to Sakura's apartment was silent. Itachi didn't even pick music, his thoughts were so loud in his head. Sakura stared out the window and he was disappointed that she didn't hold on to his thigh like had been her habit of late when they rode together. He parked in the guest lot. "Can I come up? I'd like to talk." Itachi turned towards her, his hands gripping his steering wheel in a hope to center himself.

Sakura nodded. "Okay. We should probably do that. Talk."

They walked side by side, not touching. She waved to the security guard out of habit and they were at her door soon afterwards. They hung up their coats, toed off their shoes.

Itachi had contemplated his loyalties. Should he end things with Sakura because Sasuke had the fortune of meeting her first? Should he acknowledge that Shisui obviously felt they were compatible? Should he ignore the most intense feelings he'd felt for someone in his adult life for the sake of Sasuke's pride? What was more important? Sasuke's ego or Sakura's feelings? And what about himself? He rubbed at his sternum, the familiar ache raring it's ugly head. Life was too short to ignore opportunities of happiness. And he certainly hadn't been finding happiness in his multitude of hobbies nor in his career successes.

Sakura started to walk towards the kitchen, ready to heat up a kettle of water for tea as was habit, but Itachi grabbed hold of her wrist and tugged her towards him.

Sakura crashed against his chest and Itachi's arms wrapped around her waist as he dipped down his face to slant his lips across hers. His heart unclenched when Sakura's hands wound around his neck and she moaned against him.

"I don't care if you and Sasuke dated," Itachi stated. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you my real last name."

Sakura closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. "It's very confusing. But, I'm glad I didn't know. I wouldn't have gotten to know you, if I knew you were Sasuke's brother. I would have never given you a chance." She opened her eyes, her heart in those jade orbs. "Where would my life be without you in it? We've only known each other for a month and a half, Itachi. And I cannot imagine my life without you. You are like sunshine after the rainstorm. You're smart, kind, adventurous, a chronic student — always eager to learn something new."

"You're brilliant, beautiful, and brave," Itachi answered back. He shifted his hand into her hair and tangled his fingers into her silken locks. "Do you have tomorrow off?"

Sakura nodded.

"Can I stay the night? We don't have to do anything, but I don't want to deal with Sasuke right now. He's staying in my guest room," Itachi explained. "You know his temper. I want to make sure you and I are fine, before I deal with him."

"Oh God," Sakura laughed. "Of course, he is staying at your place." She pulled away from Itachi and wandered into her kitchen. "I'm having some jasmine tea for my nerves. Do you want some?"

"This would probably be the time for something stronger," Itachi suggested. "Do you have any sake?"

Sakura laughed. "I do indeed. It was a house-warming, or rather an apartment-warming gift from Lady Tsunade."

Itachi wandered around her living room, inspecting her bookcases closer. Particularly, he wanted to see the framed photograph he saw a glimpse of last time. Sure enough, it was a beach photo of Sakura, Ino, a few other people, and Sasuke. A rare smile was on his brother's face. 'Oh Sasuke, you fucked up,' Itachi thought to himself.

A few moments later, Sakura was at his side, a cup of sake in her hand, extended for him. "That was last summer down at the beach. It was just a day-trip, but it was a lot of fun. Things seemed to be going pretty well with us. Two months later I told him that I had wanted to be married within the next two to three years and if he didn't see me as someone he might want to marry one day, then I couldn't keep dating him."

"So you two broke up," Itachi stated.

"So we broke up. He didn't appreciate my ultimatum and felt I was pressuring him." Sakura shrugged. "It bothered me that he never wanted to hang out with friends — I mean he did a few times but it was always reluctant and he complained for days afterwards. He had met my parents, he'd never invited me to meet with your family. It felt very one-sided. It felt like I was always the one making the efforts."

"And he called you Rose," Itachi pointed out. "Mother was always asking him to invite you over. Why the hell did he call you Rose? Sakura is a beautiful name."

She shrugged. "I have no idea. It started off as a cute inside joke, but eventually, that bothered me too. He talked about how nosy your mom was, so I figured it was so she couldn't figure out who I am— not too many women named Sakura in Konoha."

That actually was a plausible scenario. Itachi took a sip of the sake and closed his eyes briefly as the alcohol burned going down his throat. "Well I won't make that mistake, Sakura. My family is hosting a celebration for my father's thirty five years of service with the Police Force. I did ask that you'd be my date for the event." He smiled at her. "I would be proud to have you on my arm in front of my family. Will you still come? Please?"

"It did feel like I was a dirty, little secret," Sakura murmured. She sipped her drink. "It makes me ridiculously happy to know you would like to introduce me to your important people."

"If you want to post photos of us on your social media — go ahead. I don't have Insta as Ino calls it, but I don't mind being in your photos that you share with friends. I'm proud to call you mine— if that's okay," Itachi added, his cheeks heating up. "Would you like to go steady?"

Sakura smiled up at him. She trailed her finger from his chin, down his neck, and settled at the hollow at the base of his throat. "Itachi Uchiha, aren't I already your girlfriend?"

Itachi swallowed, the sensation of her finger against the lump in his throat strange. "Yes," he rasped. "But, I just, felt I needed to be clear of my intention." Honestly, he thought he wanted her to be more than his girlfriend. Shisui was right — she did check all the boxes on his algorithm of his perfect match.

Sakura stood on her tip toes and kissed Itachi's cheek on the left, then on the right and then pressed her lips against his. "I'd love to continue being your girlfriend, Itachi."

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OoO

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Sakura laid on her side, staring at Itachi as he slumbered in her bed. They were both clothed in their underwear, snuggled under the covers. They'd made out, but hadn't done anything particularly naughty. She was okay going slow. Considering the last person she had sex with before was his brother, it felt weird to consider having sex with Itachi just yet. She needed time to wrap her mind around it and so did he.

And his brother had blown Itachi's phone up with numerous text messages. Eventually, Itachi called him, told him he was busy and that they'd talk the next afternoon when he returned home.

"You can't sleep either," Itachi said, turning towards her, his dark eyes glittering in the night.

"I'm excited that you're here, that you're spending the night," Sakura said, tracing her finger over his bare shoulder.

"But? You'd rather be doing something other than sleeping?" Itachi guessed, rolling towards her completely. He slipped one arm around her back and settled his other hand on her hip and pressed her against him, the weight of his half-hard cock pressed against her center. "This is an incredibly awkward confession, Sakura." Itachi's lips pressed together in a thin line as he chose his next words carefully. "I'm a virgin."

Sakura's eyes widened. She knew he hadn't dated much — just the one girlfriend in high school, but she had thought…. He was so good looking! Women must have been throwing themselves at him! And he never took any of them back to his place? "Would you like to experiment with me? Or are you like…waiting for marriage?" Though, who was she to talk. She'd been with exactly two people in her life — Sasuke obviously and before him her childhood friend Naruto back when they'd been teens.

Itachi chuckled. "I…don't know about that." He ran his thumb around her hip bone in slow circles. "I do think intimacy should be taken seriously." He pressed a hesitant kiss behind her ear. "I would probably be comfortable having sex with my fiancée."

Sakura stilled at his words. "Are you asking me to marry you, Itachi?"

"Maybe. I don't know. We can visit downtown tomorrow to look at formal wear for the party and to check out a jeweler. I'd like to pick you out a Promise Ring or something of that nature," Itachi continued as he pressed more kisses to her throat and trailed down to the swell of her breast. "I know this seems sudden, Sakura. But, I've waited to meet someone for years and you've come into my life like a tornado. I don't know how to define how I feel — except I feel good. I'll never be the same and I don't want to go back to how I was."

"Don't you think you should talk to Sasuke first? Before you ask me something like this?" Sakura asked, her voice barely a whisper. This man was saying all the right things and she wanted so bad for things to work out this time.

"He's not my keeper, nor is he yours, Sakura," Itachi murmured. He kissed her lips softly. "Let's go to sleep. You can think about it, but now you know my intentions."

"Okay," Sakura answered.

"Okay— you'll think about it? Or okay— you accept my proposal?" Itachi asked.

"Okay, I accept your proposal." Sakura smiled at him, her lips quivered in anticipation. "I really like you, Itachi." She wanted to say that she was in love with him — as sudden and unexpected as that may have been. Would he believe her? It had been unexpectedly comfortable around Sasuke earlier too. Were her feelings for him invalidated since he didn't reciprocate?

He grinned. "I know. I really like you too, Sakura." . . .