Do you believe in love at first sight? I'm still struggling to figure out if what I'm feeling is love or obsession. I love seeing her smile, her lips, her eyes, and the way her cheeks turn red when she's feeling shy. I love the way she feels in my arms every time she asks me to hold her on her vulnerable days.
"Sasuke."
"Sasuke-kun! Are you listening to me?"
She waves her hands in front of my face, trying to get my attention, but I can't seem to get my mind to focus on her—here, with me, looking beautiful in her white summer dress. I ruffle her hair teasingly. "Yeah, I hear you. What are we going to do today?" I ask her.
She pouts and pinches my right arm with her small fingers. It didn't hurt a bit, but I act like it really did, just to see the panic on her face.
"S-sorry! Did I hurt you?"
"Yes, you did," I reply, giving her a stern look that's enough to make her nervous.
"I'm sorry," she says, intertwining her fingers with mine and resting them gently on her thigh, her head down, clearly regretting what she did earlier.
"I'm just joking, Hinata," I say, rubbing her red cheeks gently and kissing the tip of her red nose.
"S-sasuke!" she exclaims, shocked by what I did. She didn't expect her first date to be this way. Sasuke is a stoic person, who rarely shows emotions or acts sweet toward others, but being sweet to Hinata is an exception. He adored her, loved her, and cherished her ever since they were little. He can't forget the first time they met—how beautiful she looked in her purple kimono and how mesmerizing her eyes were when they locked with his. Sasuke, being the innocent eight-year-old he was, told his mom that he was going to marry the Hyuga heiress. Neji, being overprotective of Hinata, twitched his eyes in annoyance and scolded the eldest Uchiha son for not teaching Sasuke proper manners.
"Itachi, you should teach your brother not to blurt out nonsense when he's in the Hyuga's presence," Neji said, glaring at Itachi with intense dislike. Itachi, who is as hard-headed as Neji, couldn't help but reply with something that irritated the Hyuga prodigy.
"You can't protect her forever, sis-con. She's going to marry someone for sure in the future, and that someone might be my little brother."
From that day on, Neji and Itachi had a love-hate relationship.
….
"Look, Sasuke! A stuffed bunny! Can we get that one, please?" she drags Sasuke toward the toy stall, but before they even get there, a little girl snatches the stuffed bunny that Hinata wanted and buys it. That's the last one, and Hinata's smile falters. She squeezes Sasuke's hand a little harder than before, trying to show her disappointment. Sasuke looks at her face and asks if she's okay. She smiles at him, reassuring him that she's fine, but he knows better. The stuffed bunny is Hinata's favorite. She loves small animals, especially bunnies. Sasuke knows that deep down, she's not really okay. Sure, they're both sixteen, and people expect people at that age to be more mature and understanding, but knowing Hinata, who rarely asks her parents for anything on her birthday, he knows this is a big deal for her.
Hinata tries to brush away her disappointment and looks for something else to capture her attention. Finally, she finds a small cat doll with black and white fur and stoic eyes, just like Sasuke. She laughs and holds the cat doll closer to her chest. "I want this one, Sasuke. And look, it looks just like you!"
He rolls his eyes and takes the cat doll away from her. He puts it on his shoulder and walks toward the cashier.
He hands the cashier the exact amount of money, but then the cashier sees Hinata and, with a wide smile, taps Hinata's shoulder lightly since she's busy looking at other items.
"Hinata! Hi!"
"Hi, Ino! I didn't know you worked here! I'm glad to see you today. It's been a while since we've seen each other."
Hinata and Ino used to be classmates in primary school. Ino was one of the popular girls and one of Hinata's close friends.
"You're getting prettier, Hinata! And who's this guy?" Ino asks with a playful smile.
"This is Sasuke, my boyfriend," Hinata says shyly, holding the cat doll closer to her face to hide her blush.
"Nice to meet you," Sasuke says, nodding his head.
"Oh, I see! I hope you both have a great day today! See you around!" Ino waves her hand toward the couple as she says goodbye.
….
"Good to know that I'm your boyfriend now," Sasuke says as he walks with Hinata, their fingers intertwined. Sometimes, he kisses her hand, causing Hinata to blush even brighter.
"Aren't you my boyfriend? Or should I just accept Gaara's confession instead of yours?" she teases him.
"Don't," he says.
"Don't what?" she looks at him playfully. Sasuke tries to move his face away from hers, now blushing even redder than she is.
"I mean, you're mine. You're not allowed to date anyone else," Sasuke says, looking straight into her eyes, their fingers still intertwined. Hinata lifts their joined hands and kisses his finger.
"Very well, Sasuke-kun."
It's 6 p.m., and the event will end in thirty minutes. Most of the street stalls are closing. Hinata and Sasuke sit on a nearby bench, watching the beautiful sunset in front of them. Hinata sits next to Sasuke, and he can smell her calming scent.
"Are you happy today, Hinata?" he asks her. She looks at him and smiles.
"Yes, I am, Sasuke. Thank you for bringing me out today. It's been a while since I've had this much fun."
She looks so beautiful right now, and he can't stand it. With the sun shining on her face, she looks like an angel—his angel. He moves closer to her, hesitating for a moment. But when she closes her eyes, his hesitation disappears. The moment their lips meet, that's when he knows. What he feels right now is both love and obsession. The never-ending love he feels for the beautiful girl—and the obsession to make her only his.
"I love you," Sasuke says, his lips still against hers.
"I know," she replies.
"You should say that you love me too," he says, finally pulling back from their kiss.
"I love you too, Uchiha Sasuke."
End.