The next morning, she woke up early to get ready and head over to Sasuke's parent's house where the three would take off from. Before going to bed, she texted Sakura and made plans to meet at the Uchiha residence to make it easier. She wasn't sure if Naruto had disclosed their past together to Sakura, but she felt nervous about seeing the woman. Sakura was very kind and one of Sasuke's best friends, and she didn't want to have a strained relationship with them. It would just make things harder for Sasuke.
The mornings were beginning to get chilly and she felt so happy to see Mikoto wearing the scarf she made her.
"Hinata!" Mikoto hugged her tightly. "Sakura's coming right out."
Hinata returned her excitement. "I'm looking forward to seeing what Haruka suggests."
"Me too!" Mikoto turned back to the front door. "Sakura, hurry it up!"
The pink-haired girl rushed out of the house with a sheepish smile. "Sorry! I couldn't find my gloves," she said. Hinata got the answer to her earlier question when Sakura barely made eye contact with her. It was clear that she was uncomfortable being near her. She suspected a talk was going to happen later in the day.
"Did you find them or would you like to borrow mine?" Hinata asked, already pulling her gloves off.
Sakura waved her hands. "No, it's okay! I found them stuffed into the inner pocket of my jacket, but thank you."
"No worries. Let's get going," Hinata said, nodding to her idle vehicle. They all climbed into the car and drove in silence. Hinata was just thankful that the drive wasn't more than a couple of minutes from the Uchiha residence.
"Are we looking at wedding dresses today?" Mikoto asked as they got out of the car at her cousin's business.
"I think we should," Hinata said. "I'd like to get that out of the way before it gets too close to the date." They walked inside, the bell at the top ringing.
Haruka came out of the back. "Hey, cousin! Glad to see you here."
Hinata put her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "This is one of my fiancé's best friends, Sakura Haruno."
Haruka shook her hand. "I'm Harkua Hyuuga." She turned to Hinata. "I'm beginning to think that I'm going to meet all of his friends and family before him," she laughed.
"You'll have to forgive my son," Mikoto chuckled. "He's a real workaholic. I'm afraid it runs in the Uchiha blood."
"It's not a problem. There will be times that I'd like for him to be present though, I hope that won't be a problem," she said.
"Not at all!" Hinata assured her. "Sasuke gave me a list of days and times that he's available."
"Perfect!" Haruka pulled out her planner and gestured for them to take a seat before doing so herself. "So, I have a few venues picked, a few bands or DJs, a few churches and other wedding sites that will fit your theme, and so on. Let's start going through everything and picking everything out that you'd like," she explained.
Hinata, Mikoto, and Sakura all leaned forward at the pictures Haruka laid out in front of them. They discussed everything in-depth and Hinata had narrowed down the wedding halls and reception areas, places where she and Sasuke would have to visit with her to pick the best one for them. They finalized the color scheme as well as picked out some of the decor Haruka had shown her.
"Oh! I also had the wedding invitations made," Haruka said as she pulled out a box and slid them over. Hinata took out one of the cards and opened it up, in awe at how perfect it was to the image she described.
"These are amazing, Haruka, thank you! I was worried about where to go," she said. "These are perfect."
Mikoto and Sakura each took one and looked them over, both agreeing that they were perfect. They watched as Hinata took a photo from a bunch of different angles before pocketing her phone again.
"All we have to do is fill them out and then mail them off later!" Mikoto said, clapping her hands. "This is so much fun! I was worried Sasuke was going to only focus on his work for the rest of his life, but I'm so happy to know that he's going to have a wonderful wife who is going to give us many grandkids!"
Hinata's face went red, causing Mikoto and Sakura to laugh. "Honestly, I'm relieved, too. With me and Naruto getting married soon, I was worried that he was gonna drift even further away. I'm glad he's gonna have someone with him, especially someone like Hinata."
Hinata thanked them. It felt nice to have a mother-like figure and another girlfriend. She had only had Ino since high school, but it was nice to have someone like Sakura near as she was a lot like her blonde friend.
After having narrowed down the options for everything she needed, it was time to plan around Sasuke's schedule. They needed to have everything picked out in order to fill out the details card that would go out with the invitations. Haruka had mentioned getting an email from the owner Akimichi's and had made a condensed list of the food that would be offered specifically for those who had certain sensitivities and were also worried about cross-contamination.
By the time they had set a date, next Monday at one, everyone was hungry and ready to eat something.
"Let's hit up a restaurant and then look for the dress," Hinata said as she stood and stretched.
"You don't want to do it before eating something?" Mikoto asked.
"No, I'd like a bit of slack in my dress anyway," she assured her with a smile. "I'm not worried about my weight or anything."
"Then, yes. Let's go eat something delicious!" Sakura said, getting to her feet as well. "Let's go to that burger place we passed on the way here."
"A burger sounds perfect."
They all thanked Haruka and left as the older Hyuuga was getting ready to close for lunch. Hinata set a message to Sasuke when she got into the car.
We'll be viewing wedding halls and areas as well as the reception sites next Monday at 1.
She buckled in and made sure everyone else was too, before heading back to the place she and Mikoto went to a few days ago.
"I'm going to run to the ladies' room for a minute. I'll be right back," Mikoto said, getting up from the booth where she had been sitting next to Hinata. When she left, that was the first time she and Sakura had been left alone and Hinata felt a bit awkward about it as Sakura looked like she was gearing up to say something.
"Um," Sakura started, smiling awkwardly at Hinata from across the table, "Naruto told me everything last night. That you two dated for a year before breaking up."
Hinata nodded, taking a small sip of her tea. "I'm glad he told you. I'm sorry we misled you yesterday, but once he introduced me like that, I didn't know what to do so I just followed suit."
"I understand. I'm not upset. Does Sasuke know?" She asked.
"Well, Naruto's not exactly subtle," Hinata laughed softly. "He knew something was up immediately. I told him right then."
"Is he okay with it?" Hinata nodded. "It's a small world, isn't it?"
Hinata huffed out a laugh. "I certainly wasn't expecting to see him ever again," she admitted. "I had accepted everything that happened a long time ago, but seeing him pop up right in front of me, as my fiancé's best friend, was jarring. I wasn't prepared, but neither was he, I suppose."
Sakura looked down at her hands. "Do you…still love Naruto?"
She shook her head. "I don't. Well, Naruto is loveable just as he is, but I don't think of him romantically. For the longest time, he was just an old friend who broke my heart. It's different now."
"Broke your heart? But he said it was a mutual breakup," Sakura explained.
"He just…disappeared right after graduation without a word. No note, no text message, or voicemail, no letter, not even an email…just gone. Just like that," Hinata replied. "It would've been a lot easier had it been a mutual decision, but no. He made that choice on his own. I don't know why he told you that, but that isn't how I remember things."
Hinata looked deep into Sakura's eyes. She wanted the Haruno to see that she was sincere, that Naruto leaving her was one of the worst things that had ever happened to her, that she used to lay awake at night wondering what she did wrong or what she did to drive him away, that she had often thought of dying. After fighting for her relationship with him, her family shunned her even more and she had lost plenty of things to continue receiving his love. And when he left, it was like a void was created in the center of her chest that wouldn't close no matter what she did.
It came to the point where she didn't believe in romantic love anymore and she didn't long for it anymore. She had gone on plenty of dates and tried getting back out there, but even if she did like someone romantically, it disappeared in no time and she grew tired of hurting people. She had been terrified that there was something wrong with her. She longed to love, but she just couldn't feel it anymore. After a while, she accepted it and it didn't bother her anymore. She had Sasuke. A companion, by her side. But she knew there was a risk of him meeting someone he truly wanted to be with, and that he would leave as well.
"I'm sorry, Hinata," Sakura said. It seemed to her that she had gotten what she was trying to say to her.
Hinata averted her eyes. "I'm just glad to see he's actually alive and happy now. Thank you for being there for him," she said, smiling. "He can be a handful, but he's full of love and drive. You two seem to be a wonderful match."
Sakura teared up. "Thank you," she said, reaching across the table and taking hold of Hinata's hands. "I'm glad we talked about it. I didn't want it to be awkward between us. I really want us to be friends."
"I want that, too." Hinata squeezed her hands firmly.
Sakura was a wonderful person and she truly felt happy about their relationship. A smidge of her thought she was going to be jealous, and thought that she was still going to be in love with Naruto, but she was pleased to find that she still felt nothing. It was comforting.
Hinata plopped down on her couch with a tired sigh. After lunch, they all felt very tired and decided to go dress shopping another day. She was thankful because she only got a few hours after her breakdown and then finished her book to send to her editor. She curled up on her side and pulled the throw over herself. She was asleep before she had any say about it.
She awoke to her door being opened and voices traveling in.
"Jesus, did you have to move this today?" Naruto's voice and she decided to stay very still with her eyes shut.
"Well, I wanted to move the heavier stuff first so I didn't have to worry about it later." That was Sasuke, who sounded very irritated and almost apprehensive. "Oh, she's asleep."
Hinata stayed so still when she heard Naruto chuckle. "She still sleeps curled up like that," she heard him murmur.
Sasuke scoffed. "Stop ogling my fianceé," he sighed though as he didn't really mean it.
Naruto spluttered and Hinata wished she could see his face. "I—I'm not!" He argued. He was loud enough that Hinata felt it would be realistic to start waking up.
"Quiet, you idiot," Sasuke shushed, but then he noticed Hinata's eyes fluttering open and watched as her eyes widened as she took in Naruto, and then her eyes moved to him. "Sorry for waking you. I tried calling, but I figured you were still out with my mother and Sakura."
Hinata sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "It's okay," she said, voice full of sleep. "I got back here just after lunchtime. We decided to look for wedding dresses another day." Then she got up and straightened her skirt out before heading over to Sasuke.
"I got your message earlier," Sasuke said. "Are those places going to be far?"
Hinata got on her tip-toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "No, they're just on the outskirts of town," she replied. She turned to Naruto with a smile, amused at Sasuke's red face. "It's good to see you again. Thank you for helping Sasuke move some of his things."
Naruto looked between the two before clearing his throat. "Uh, yeah. It's not a problem." He gestured around. "This is a great home you've got!"
Hinata brightened up. "Thank you! I've worked hard to decorate, but it's really just random things I like thrown up on the wall and shelves," she giggled. She pointed back at her kitchen. "Let me get you two something to drink."
"Thanks," Sasuke said and then leaned down to kiss the top of her head. It was awkward and his face was bright red, but he did it and Hinata was proud of him. Just as she was leaving the living room, she heard Naruto call him a sap and she laughed to herself as she grabbed a pitcher of lemonade from her fridge.
Sasuke surprised her in the kitchen a few moments later. "I'm going to say I'm getting a call and step outside. Text me when your talk is over," he said. Hinata blinked at him. "I want it behind us sooner than later."
"I understand. Thank you."
Sasuke left the kitchen and she heard muffled voices and then the front door closing. She took a few moments to herself before stepping out into the living room where Naruto was standing around nervously.
"You can take a seat if you'd like," she said, holding out one of the glasses to him.
He took it gratefully and sat down on the same couch as her but on the other side. "Thanks! Um, Sasuke said he was getting a work call or something. I don't think he'll be long though."
Hinata took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "Why did you tell Sakura that our breakup was mutual?" She asked, getting straight to it.
Naruto choked a bit on his drink, avoiding her eyes as he laughed nervously. "I just… I thought it'd be easier to explain it like that."
"You mean you didn't want to tell her about the money," Hinata clarified.
Naruto's eyes turned sad and guilty. "You don't know what you're talking about," he said.
Hinata's head snapped to him, her eyes hard. "How dare you tell me that."
He sighed, running a hand down his face. "Yes, I took the money. I took it, okay? It happened. It's over now."
She scoffed. "How much was it, then? How much was our relationship worth to you?" She didn't know where this amount of anger was coming from. "You didn't just throw away our love, Naruto, you threw away me. Our friendship!"
That's really what it all came down to. If he wanted to break up, then she would've accepted that. But they were close friends before they ever started dating, and that's what she thought they'd always be…even if they didn't work out.
"Well, you're doing perfectly fine now, aren't you?!" Naruto yelled. "You're a successful writer, you have a house, and you're getting married, so obviously it didn't hurt you that bad!"
Hinata grabbed her full glass of lemonade and threw it at him, causing him to let out a yelp. "Don't turn this around on me! You left and I had to pick up the pieces, that's all there is to it. I lost my best friend without any say in the matter! And then you almost immediately moved on, and somehow expected that I would stay alone for the rest of my life just waiting for you?"
Naruto leaned forward against his knees as Hinata got to her feet.
"Yes, I'm marrying Sasuke. God forbid I try to find some happiness in my life," she continued. "You have no idea just how much you hurt me, so you don't get to say that to me!"
"I'm sorry, Hinata, truly," Naruto said after a few moments of silence. "You just…had such an easy life that I figured losing me wouldn't do too much damage."
"You think I had an easy life?" She scoffed. "Are you serious? What, because my family has a lot of money? Money can't buy you everything."
"That's easy for you to say!" He yelled, now on his feet as well. "You don't know what it's like to not have enough!"
"Yes, I do!" She yelled back. "Because I can tell you for damn sure that I'd have rather have had my father's love than his money! I didn't care about the expensive things or the clothes or the big house. I just wanted to be loved!" Now her eyes were watering. "And you had given me all that love just to rip it away from me!"
Naruto's eyes widened as his shoulders slumped.
"I had your love and support. You held me when things got too hard and wiped my tears away when I cried. You cheered on my writing career and gave your opinion on them even though you weren't a reader…and you never complained about it. You held my hand and kept me grounded when I felt like I was going to float away. You kissed me with such a tenderness I never thought I was worth. You saw me and wanted me." The tears were fully falling now. "But that was all just a lie, something I wanted to believe I deserved."
Naruto took a step forward, reaching a handout. "Hinata…"
Hinata hugged herself, stepping back. "Don't touch me, Naruto. You don't have that right anymore," she sobbed. "We're nothing but old classmates, right? Nothing but old friends. People who used to know each other."
The Uzumaki froze. "It was hard for me, too, Hinata. It wasn't as easy as you think."
She clenched her fists. "You replaced me pretty fast, so forgive me if I find that hard to believe," she retorted. She wanted to scream about how she was left on her own, pushed out of her home for pursuing her career and defying the family for him, and forced to work multiple jobs at a time in order to survive before her books took off. She wanted to tell him how she still couldn't feel anything in the center of her chest where her heart should be, how she wanted to die, and almost did.
"Sakura has nothing to do with this," Naruto snapped. "If you're jealous about it, then just be upfront, and don't lead Sasuke on! He's my best friend."
Hinata couldn't stop herself before she slapped him so hard her hand stung. "Jealous?! I feel nothing for you but anger!" She grabbed his shirt tightly and pulled him in closer, her eyes glaring into his shocked ones. Sasuke came rushing in and immediately tried to break them up, but Hinata's grip wasn't loosening. "I was your best friend at one point, too. And you threw me away, so your "best friend" title doesn't mean anything to me." She pushed him away and turned her back to both of them.
"What happened?" Sasuke asked, breaking the thick silence that had been dangerously close to suffocating them.
"I…put my hands on him," Hinata said. "I'm sorry, Naruto." Her voice was thick with tears and her shoulders were still shaking.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "I—I deserved it. I shouldn't have said that about you and Sasuke."
"...What did you say?" Sasuke asked warily.
Naruto winced and he avoided the Uchiha's eyes. "...I accused her of being jealous of Sakura and… leading you on," he admitted. Sasuke shut his eyes, taking in the harsh words.
"How much did you get from my family?" Hinata asked again as she had never gotten the answer.
Naruto hesitated for a moment before sighing. "$500,000." Hinata turned to him in disbelief, even Sasuke was in shock. "Enough to make sure I stayed away and never came back for more."
Hinata slowly went down to her knees, her tears drying as she slowly began to laugh as though she was told the funniest joke. "My—My life was worth $500,000!" She laughed. She knew she looked absolutely insane, but she couldn't help it. "You could've have asked for a full million?!"
"Your life?" Naruto asked, suddenly mad that she was laughing. "What do you mean by that?!"
Hinata held her stomach as she continued laughing, her face growing red. "I—oh, my god—I almost killed myself for someone who left me for half a million!"
Sasuke and Naruto both froze at her words before Naruto stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders as he got down on his knee. "You almost killed yourself? Hinata, what the hell?! For me?" He was properly angry now, shaking her.
Hinata's laughing was slowly decreasing to giggles. "No, I'm sorry. It's unfair to pin it solely on you," she said, clearing her throat to stop her laughing. "It was a mixture of everything, you just happened to be the breaking point."
"Hinata…" He grabbed her hands and looked down at her wrists.
Hinata noticed and pulled her hands away. "I didn't... do it there." Naruto grew serious and pushed her onto her bottom before pushing her skirt up, ignoring the leg kicking at him. "Stop it!"
Sasuke grabbed at his friend's arm. "Get your hands off of her."
Naruto shoved him off. "Shut up! Let me check," he said, finally getting the skirt up high enough to see the long scar coming from the edge of her underwear. "Goddamn it, Hinata! You could've died!"
Hinata pushed her skirt down and drew her knees into her chest, fresh tears now spilling once again. "That was kind of the point," she mumbled.
"It's not a joke!" He said, moving a hand out to grab her.
Sasuke caught his hand and pushed him away. "Stop it," Sasuke said curtly. "Don't just casually touch someone's fianceé."
"It's nothing I haven't seen before, Sasuke. Just butt out. This is between me and her," Naruto said, his eyes never leaving Hinata's face.
Hinata gasped at that, the memories of her first time flashing through her mind. "Get out," she sobbed. "Get out of my house!"
It was a mess. It was all a mess. She revealed a part of herself that she had buried years ago in the deepest pit she could find, but now here it was out in the open. Sasuke was no doubt going to void their contract and she was going to have to explain to everyone what happened. Her father was going to have more questions, ones that she couldn't handle.
"Hinata!" Naruto yelled.
Sasuke pulled him up and ushered him toward the door. "No, get out, Naruto. That's enough for today," he said, dropping his keys into Naruto's hand. "Take it. I'm staying here."
"But..!"
"No," Sasuke said. "It's gone on long enough already. You were supposed to fix things, not make it worse." Naruto hesitated for another moment before slowly moving out the door. As soon as the door shut behind him, Hinata buried her face into her knees but she could hear Sasuke slowly making his way to her. Sure enough, there was a hand on her back and he was sitting next to her.
"He shouldn't have done that," Sasuke said. "I'm sorry."
Hinata wiped her face and looked at him. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I—I understand if you don't want to marry me anymore," she said, her voice cracking over every other word.
Sasuke sighed. "Well, you come with more baggage than I expected, but that doesn't really matter to me," he said. Hinata let out a teary laugh. "Come on. Let's get you some water." He helped her up and guided her to the kitchen.
"I wasn't supposed to react like that," she mumbled. "I was fine. I had gotten along well enough, but after hearing that he told her it was a mutual breakup and not at all owning up to the fact that he took money from my family, I just became so angry."
Sasuke set a glass a water in front of her and sat down across from her. "I'm sure it didn't help to hear that he had been chasing after Sakura while you two were still together," he added, causing Hinata to slump a little more.
"That's also true, but I think I'm more upset that he keeps withholding the truth from someone as kind as Sakura," she admitted. "Though…maybe I just want to see him punished for what he did." Admitting that made her feel uncomfortable. "I'm very happy to see that he's living a happy life and working toward his dream of becoming a doctor, but part of me also feels like he just…got off too easily."
"I mean, if you weigh out how your lives have been since you separated, then I'd say his was probably easier in a way."
Hinata smiled at how blunt Sasuke was. She liked that about him. "You weren't ever supposed to find out that I had tried taking my own life. No one but Ino was ever supposed to know."
Sasuke hummed. "I take it she found you?"
She nodded. "Yeah. She came over unannounced as she often did and was able to call someone. She saved my life. And seeing how terrified she was when I woke up in the hospital, I promised myself I'd never do it ever again."
"How long ago was it?"
"I was eighteen. It wasn't too long after I'd found an apartment and I finally had a moment to myself when everything came rushing back."
"Is Naruto the reason you don't…feel love anymore?"
"I feel love. I love all of my friends and my family. I just don't feel romantic love. What I had with Naruto had been pure and innocent. Sure, we'd made love just before graduation, but I thought our connection had gone beyond that," she explained before taking another drink of water and ignoring the pain in her chest of having been abandoned after letting Naruto have her virginity. "After he left and my father told me he had accepted money from them, I felt a large void in my chest. It wouldn't fill up no matter what I tried but I've long come to accept that part of me."
"That sounds unbelievably depressing," he sighed. "I can't imagine not being able to fall in love."
She tilted her head curiously. "Have you ever been in love before?" She asked. He shook his head. "Well, it's just like that. It's like it just hasn't happened yet."
"You don't still love Naruto or something?"
She shook her head. "I don't. He's just a man I thought I loved."
"Good," he said, his shoulders relaxing. "It would've been uncomfortable marrying a woman who still loved my engaged best friend."
Hinata laughed. "You don't have to worry one bit," she assured him. "Thank you for staying here with me."
He shrugged. "If I'd gone with him, we just would've argued the whole time. It was very inappropriate for him to push your skirt up like that, whether or not you're my fiancée, and it didn't sit right with me," he explained. "He said some things that were out of line. I heard most of it from outside."
She ducked her head, embarrassed. "I'm sorry you had to witness all of that. It was unbecoming. I'm normally much more composed than that."
"Naruto just has a way of getting under your skin," Sasuke shrugged. "So I wouldn't worry about it too much."
"I just hope this doesn't cause a strain between me and Sakura," she sighed. "I really like her."
Sasuke exhaled a laugh. "She's more understanding."
Hinata nodded and was silent for a moment. "Do you know what he used the money for?"
"Yes," he replied but didn't explain it any further.
"Was it for something good?" She asked. She didn't care to know the specifics, she was fine with just knowing it went to something good and possibly life-changing.
"It was."
She smiled and accepted that. "Then it's okay."
Sasuke tilted his head. "You don't want to know?"
She shrugged. "It's his business. I don't need to know what he did with that money. I just wanted to make sure it was for something good since it once belonged to my family." She let out a long sigh. "I think I just needed to get all of that out. I've been holding it in for so long under the guise of not being bothered, just so everyone wouldn't walk on eggshells around me. Now that I was able to say all of that to him, I feel a lot better. I can fully move on now."
Sasuke let out a rare smile. "That's good to hear. You've done well, Hinata," he said. She blinked at him, her grip on her glass tightening.
"You really think so?"
"Yes. You can take it easy now," he replied softly. "You don't have to hold anything back in front of me."
For years, everyone had been telling her to stay strong, to never falter or waver, to keep going and never stop and never look back… Now, here Sasuke was telling her that she could take it easy, that she didn't need to be strong about it anymore, that she could let go and just rest. It meant the world to her.
She gave him a watery smile, eyes shining with both tears and happiness. "Thank you, Sasuke. I think that's what I needed to hear."
Sasuke's face went a soft hue of pink before nodding and averting his eyes. "Uh, so do you have a wedding dress in mind already?" He asked, clearly changing the subject.
Hinata giggled. "I have a design in mind. And you? What about your tux?"
"Well, I guess I'll pick a tux that fits the theme. I'll go out with Naruto sometime soon," he said. "Your dress will be white, right?"
She raised a brow. "Are you asking because you know I'm not a virgin now?"
"No, I just don't want us to both be dressed in a "pastel purple", as you call it," he replied easily.
She broke into a smile and nodded. "Yes, I'm wearing white," she laughed. "As much as a nice lavender color would look, I'm going to stick to the traditional color." Sasuke nodded and Hinata watched as he looked through his calendar, no doubt looking for an available day to shop for tuxedos.
"Since Naruto is very busy with his residency, he's only here for a few days but will return the day before the wedding," he explained. "You also won't have to worry about seeing him for a while. Again, I'm really sorry about his behavior."
Hinata shrugged. "It's okay. It didn't really matter much to me. I think I was more concerned with you seeing that scar," she admitted. "I didn't…want you to change your mind about me, especially knowing that I have such an unsightly scar."
"I don't care about that," he assured her. "I'm very serious about this contract. You're the best person for me to marry, history with my idiot best friend and scar, and all. I think this is still the best choice for us."
"I'm happy you think so." And it was the truth. Sasuke was the best person for her to get married to, there were no doubts about it, as he was comfortable with her being her own person and doing her own things, and he was kind to her in his own way.
She stood up and took her glass to the sink before looking in the fridge. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat for dinner tonight?" She asked.
Sasuke shrugged, still focused on his phone. "I'm fine with whatever you're having," he mumbled.
Hinata rolled her eyes fondly and took out ground beef to make hamburgers. "Juicy burgers, it is then!" She declared, and she wasn't going to mention that she'd also had that for lunch.
They ate dinner in the living room while watching a movie. Sasuke didn't find the comedy all that funny, Hinata could tell, but the slapstick comedy made her giggle. Movies that didn't take themselves seriously were her favorite.
"You actually like these kinds of movies?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"They're just so silly," she laughed. "Every piece of media I consume doesn't have to be life-changing. It can just be something simple to make me laugh or cry or something." Movies have been her safe haven for years. They kept her company for most of her life.
"It's just too ridiculous," he argued.
"That's the point. I'm going to go ahead and guess that you haven't consumed much media."
"I didn't have much interest or time."
"Okay, well, I practically survived on movies, so this is what we're going to do: every time you're home, we're going to watch one movie. From start to finish, and then we can discuss it afterward," she said. "Watching movies is a good way to increase your ability to read people. And reading people is something essential for your job."
Sasuke groaned, letting his head fall back on the sofa. "I guess, but I don't think movies are going to help with that."
Hinata patted his arm. "It will. Trust me," she replied. "I'll even start off small and pick a nice, short movie. It's not going to be complete torture."
He sighed. "Fine. But I probably won't be home early too often because of work, so it won't be every day."
She shrugged. "It could be once a week or once a month for all I care. So long as it's something. Deal?" She stuck her hand out.
He shook her hand begrudgingly. "Deal."
Hinata grinned smugly and went back to the movie. This relationship didn't seem so bad.
Hiii! Sorry again for such a late upload :( I seriously need to just set a weekly timer. I was actually going to upload much earlier because we're getting ready for Dia de los Muertos, but I got pretty wrapped up in decorating that it slipped my mind. At any rate, we hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I do want to mention that I wrote this one pretty much on my own, so I guess this one can be labeled as such (and probably one of the only ones i will ever do alone. i think r3d and i just work better together tbh). anyone wanna guess the movie they were watching? it's absolutely ridiculous and came out in 2002, and i LOVE it.
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 11/01/24