Sakura dragged herself into her office and slumped into her chair, bloody and exhausted. She had just spent three hours assisting Tsunade-shisou in a critical surgery on a little boy. Her limbs were sore, and every inch of her body ached, but a small, satisfied smile tugged at her lips. Saving the child's life had been worth it. Besides, it offered a much-needed distraction from her own problems.

For the past few months, Sakura had buried herself in her work, taking on as many patients as possible. It was the only way she knew how to cope with her breakup with Itachi. Regardless of how it ended, they had been together for a long time, and the separation was painful.

She missed him—his presence, his company, the way he filled her life. But deep down, she realized that her longing wasn't rooted in love but in habit. She had grown used to him being there, and that sense of familiarity was what held her back every time she wanted to reach out. She still loved Itachi, but she wasn't in love with him anymore. And contacting him again would only be cruel, reopening wounds that were still healing.

Then there was Sasuke.

Sakura sighed and rubbed her eyes. He had tried to contact her several times, but she hadn't responded. She couldn't face him after everything that had happened. How could she, when she had come between two brothers? The shame and guilt were unbearable, and she figured removing herself from the Uchiha brothers' lives entirely was a fitting punishment.

"This is absurd!" Ino had told her once. "You're just going to ignore everything like it never happened?"

"What choice do I have, Ino?" Sakura muttered, sitting on the floor, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them. "What else can I do?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe talk to Sasuke?" Ino said, as if it were the most obvious solution.

"I can't!" Sakura pushed her head between her knees, her voice muffled. "He's better off without me."

"Sakura..." Ino sighed, wrapping her arm around her. Sakura let herself be held, allowing the comfort as she grieved and wrestled with her tangled emotions.

Ino had tried to persuade her a few more times, but Sakura stood firm. Maybe it was cowardice, but she needed time—time to sort herself out before she could deal with anything else.

Whenever she had a quiet moment, her mind wandered back to the chaos of the past few years. How and when had she fallen for Sasuke while she was still with Itachi? She had always imagined her future with Itachi. How had everything unraveled so quickly? How could she have given her heart to someone else?

Sakura groaned, letting her head drop onto her desk, arms wrapped around it like a shield. Not this again!

She got up and headed for the shower, hoping the hot water would not only wash the blood from her skin but also distract her from thinking about Sasuke again.

When her shift finally ended, she gathered her things and walked out of the hospital. With two days off ahead of her, she was determined to head straight to a bar and drown her sorrows in alcohol. The last thing she wanted was more time to think.

Reaching her car in the parking lot, she was just about to get in when she heard a voice from behind:

"Sakura."

She yelped, dropping her keys, and whirled around. Sasuke stood there, and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wha—Sasuke? What are you doing here?" she demanded, struggling to suppress the sudden flutter in her stomach at seeing him after so long. He was wearing brown pants and a dark blue shirt with the sleeves casually rolled halfway up. The top button was undone, and his hair, spiked as always, framed his relaxed features. He stood there, calm and unhurried, as though he had all the time in the world.

Was he always this handsome? Sakura wondered, feeling a blush rise slowly up her neck.

"Well?" she asked again when he didn't respond. She locked eyes with his onyx gaze and was startled to find softness there. She had expected him to be angry after she'd ignored him for so long.

"You didn't respond to any of my calls or texts," Sasuke said, his tone free of accusation. "So I figured I'd find you at the hospital." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I saw you coming out and followed you here."

"Wow, that's not stalker-y at all," Sakura quipped before she could stop herself. Sasuke's lips twitched into a brief smirk, but then his expression grew serious again.

"I need to talk to you, Sakura," he said quietly.

She sighed, looking away. "Sasuke, I probably know what you're going to say, and I'm just…" She ran a hand through her hair and glanced down at her feet. "I'm not ready to talk yet. I'm sorry."

Sasuke nodded understandingly. "That's fine. I won't push you. But will you at least have coffee with me?" Sakura looked up, surprised, then studied him warily.

"We don't have to talk about anything you're not ready to," Sasuke added gently. "We can just hang out as friends."

Friends, huh? Sakura considered his offer. Surely, having coffee with him wouldn't hurt. Not if they both ignored their feelings and pretended they were just friends. And she did miss him—more than she missed Itachi, though she hated admitting that embarrassing truth, even to herself.

At last, Sakura nodded. "Okay. Coffee sounds good." She managed a small smile, and Sasuke, visibly relieved, returned it.

They headed to a nearby coffee shop that Sakura often visited after her shift. After placing their orders and settling in, Sasuke broke the silence.

"So, how have you been?"

"Er… good," Sakura began, then hesitated. "Actually, not really. I could be better." She cringed slightly. They promised they wouldn't touch any sensitive topic it but here she was already breaking the rule. There was something about Sasuke that always made it easy for her to open up. How many things had I overlooked about him all this time? she wondered.

Sasuke looked at her, as if debating whether to push her to share more.

Before he could decide, she turned the question back on him. "How have you been?"

"I could be better too," he replied softly, his gaze meeting her emerald eyes. They held each other's gaze for a lingering moment before Sakura broke eye contact, glancing down at her hands. A creeping sense of dread rose within her—was this a mistake after all? But Sasuke, noticing her discomfort, smoothly changed the subject.

"This is a nice place. Do you come here often?"

"Yeah," she replied, relaxing a bit. "It's quiet, perfect for unwinding after a long day. And they make really good croissants."

Just then, the server arrived with their coffee and a croissant. Sakura held her cup in her hand and inhaled the delicious smell of caffeine.

"You look like you could use this coffee. Long day?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, I took part in a pretty intense surgery today," Sakura began, launching into a recount of her day. Before long, they fell naturally into their old rhythm, sharing stories and laughing over small, random things. For a moment, as they shared a laugh at one of his dry quips, Sakura forgot all about the pain of her breakup. She found herself relaxing, surprised at how easy it was to feel at home in Sasuke's company again.

Eventually, they got up and left the coffee shop. Night had fallen, the sky was clear, and the moon shone brightly above them. A gentle breeze brushed Sakura's cheeks, and she smiled, feeling unexpectedly content. They strolled side by side toward the parking lot, making their way to her car.

As they walked, Sakura glanced up at Sasuke, who was gazing straight ahead. She took in his features—the sharp line of his nose, the familiar spikes of hair falling over his forehead, the firm set of his jaw. Her eyes drifted lower, noticing the light stubble shadowing his chin, and then up again to his lips, which looked soft. She couldn't help but wonder what it might feel like to—

"You're staring," Sasuke said calmly, without turning his head. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts, her face heating as she looked away, flustered.

They continued walking in silence, but a slow pang rose in Sakura's chest, softening her gaze as her eyes fell to the ground. Finally, she stopped. Sasuke stopped too, turning to face her, though he remained quiet, waiting patiently.

"I'm sorry for not responding to your calls," she began quietly. "These past few months have been… hard. Itachi broke up with me—which you already know. But it was harder than I expected," she admitted, looking up at him and shifting slightly. "Despite everything, I did love him."

Sasuke took a small step toward her but paused, his hands hanging at his sides. His onyx eyes held her emerald ones with a look of both softness and sorrow.

"I'm sorry for what happened between you and Itachi," he said gently. He hesitated as if weighing his next words, then nodded slightly, as if making up his mind. "And… I never meant to come between you two. He's my brother, and I care about him. I never wanted either of you to get hurt."

Sakura looked up at him startled. He had just addressed the elephant in the room. So this was really happening. She took a deep breath and shook her head, smiling sadly.

"You didn't come between us, Sasuke. We'd been growing apart for a long time—it just took us a while to see it."

"But… if I hadn't been there—that night—" Sasuke started, his voice trailing off. Sakura knew exactly which night he meant—the night when Itachi had seen something between them, something Sakura hadn't even been ready to admit to herself.

"Then we'd probably be engaged," Sakura admitted, "and maybe even married by now." Sasuke's mouth closed as he absorbed her words, guilt beginning to flicker across his face.

"But," she continued gently, "that would've been a mistake. Itachi saved us both years of pain by ending things."

Sasuke exhaled and nodded, visibly relieved. Sakura took in his reaction, feeling a tug at her heart. She wanted to reach out, to wrap her arms around him, to tell him that none of this was his fault. She wanted to rest her head on his chest, feel his arms around her, but she held back. She wasn't ready. She couldn't be—was she?

"Let's go," Sasuke said, nodding toward her car. "Wouldn't want you getting home too late."

"Worried about my safety, are you?" Sakura teased with a smile as they resumed walking.

"More like… I care about you," he replied, as if it were the simplest, most natural thing in the world. Sakura felt warmth rise to her cheeks but she managed to quell it.

"I care about you too," she admitted as they reached her car.

"I know," Sasuke replied with a faint smile. He turned to face her, looking down into her emerald eyes. His head dipped slightly, and Sakura's breath caught. Was he going to kiss her?

"Would you like to meet up again?" he asked instead. She exhaled, feeling a little disappointed, but then smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that," she said softly. Sasuke's smile grew a little wider.

"I'll see you soon," he murmured, stepping back, his gaze lingering on her before he turned to leave. Sakura watched him walk away, her heart light. She climbed into her car and drove to her new apartment, smiling all the way home.