Sarada's eyes flitted back and forth across the movie screen, absorbing as much information as she could. Copious amounts of ocular mutilation aside, it was a tight script. She felt Boruto's heartbeat steady the longer he held onto her, and she was thankful they could use each other as emergency nightmare sponges in this moment. Granted, it wasn't the most comfortable position to sit in, but her mind was focused elsewhere so it didn't matter. She shot him a quick glance and noticed his eyes were a little glazed over, but she figured that was because he also had a visceral reaction to the eyeball scene.
'He must be really scared,' she thought, 'And I don't blame him.'
When she returned her attention to the screen, it was just in time for another jumpscare - the gritty image of a monster crouching in the shadows was accompanied by a high-pitched, distorted frequency. The combination made Sarada's heart leap out of her throat once more. She flinched and instinctively tightened her grip around the fabric of Boruto's shirt and watched with morbid fascination as one scene melted into the next.
At this point in the film, Boruto was riding his own roller coaster of emotions. Initially, he felt protective. He had wrapped his arms around Sarada and guided her face to his chest to shield her from the gorey images. Next, he felt strong. Stronger than he'd ever felt before in his life because for the first time he felt like he was protecting her emotionally. He wanted to be the rock she could lean on. After that, he felt smug. Here he was with his crush in his arms, whilst Inojin was none the wiser - his attention fixed on the movie in front of them. Finally, doubt seeped through his chest and Boruto felt a ball of guilt weighing down his gut.
Another image of Inojin and Sarada making out in the kitchen invaded his mind. He'd spent his entire day deciding to be jealous rather than figuring out if they were officially an item or not. If they were, then what right did he have to swoop in and ruin their relationship?
But Cho Cho said that Inojin said that he and Sarada weren't dating, so where was the harm?
But if Cho Cho was wrong, and they were dating...no, he didn't want to think about that. Besides, Sarada hadn't pushed him away, yet, so that had to be a good sign. Right?
And so Boruto spent the rest of the movie going back and forth between wanting to vomit from anxiety and daydreaming about Sarada and him going on dates.
He was whipped out of his daze when the credits finally rolled and the movie ended. A rapid movement in his peripheral caught his attention, and it was Inojin leaping up from his seat, whooping and hollering and applauding alongside a good chunk of the theater's audience.
'Who claps at the end of a movie?' thought Boruto, eyebrow raised. He didn't have much time to dwell on that thought, however, when he felt Sarada roughly, and abruptly, push away from him and also jump up to join in the applause before the lights fully brightened the room once more. His arms were empty and his chest felt painfully cold.
"That was so good!" exclaimed Sarada, "Scary, but good!" She grabbed Inojin by the shoulders and bounced up and down excitedly, "I didn't think a creepy murder basement could make me feel this alive!"
Inojin grabbed her by the elbows, eyes sparkling, "The whole thing gave me chills! Everything felt so real, you know?"
"Right?!"
"Exactly!"
Boruto could feel himself getting more irritated by the second. He had no idea why they were getting so carried away, but he did spend the last third of the movie focusing on Sarada instead of watching it. He figured their extended moment of intimacy would be something she'd want to talk to him about, and soon, and it irked him to no end that she nonchalantly brushed him off in favor of Inojin's company, once more.
Unable to watch them any longer, Boruto stood from his seat and grumbled, "Come on, guys, we're blocking traffic."
His interruption didn't seem to dampen their spirits any, and the two of them kept gushing endless praises about the movie as the three of them filed out of the theater. Even once they were outside the building and in the courtyard, Sarada and Inojin kept up their excited chatter.
"The coded messages were genius," said Sarada, "and they were a piece of cake to keep track of with my Sharingan. It really made me feel like we were active participants in the story."
"The Greek mythology angle kind of came out of left field, but it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it," replied Inojin.
"Yeah, um...it was good. Phenomenal," muttered Boruto with a half-hearted smile, trying to insert himself into their conversation, but he was immediately drowned out by the arrival of Denki, Metal, and Iwabe.
"I don't know what we just watched," said Denki, "but I have got to come back and see it again!" His eyes twinkled. "Sarada, please tell me you had that last code memorized. I didn't catch it fast enough."
"Who cares about codes?!" exclaimed Metal, "What about the subplot of unrequited love?"
Iwabe grabbed Metal's head and swung him around.
"Who cares about unrequited love when there's a monster on the loose! Besides, that subplot was clearly a reference to gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity!"
"That slow turn around to the camera at the end gave me goosebumps!" said Sarada, hugging herself for emphasis, "They definitely set it up for a sequel!" She giggled and her cheeks pinkened with excitement.
Their small group had gravitated off to the side of the theater and made seats on a wooden bench and the brick wall behind it. Unable to participate in their active discussion, Boruto stood awkwardly against the rail of the concrete staircase only a few steps away. He didn't know what to do. The guys that were supposed to be his backup had now fallen for Inojin's charms, as well, and Boruto wanted nothing more than for Sarada to throw even the smallest glance his way, just to acknowledge in some capacity that they shared a moment together. Alas, she was too busy reliving their movie-going experience that he mistakenly missed out on. As much as he wanted to frown, though, he couldn't help but shed a small smile because Sarada looked absolutely adorable trying to reenact some of the scenes. The arrival of three more familiar faces brought him out of his thoughts.
"Oh ho, what's this? Sounds like you all had fun," said Cho Cho walking down the steps behind Boruto. Wasabi and Namida were in tow.
Sarada hopped over to them. "Hey, guys! What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd see you anymore tonight."
Cho Cho smiled, "We met up after you and Inojin took off. I'll take it that whatever movie you saw was good?"
"Cho Cho, you have no idea," said Sarada with a hand over her heart, "Oh! Are you girls going to the theater now? Because I will totally go watch it again if you are!"
Cho Cho put her hands up apologetically, taken aback by Sarada's forwardness. "Let's take a rain check. The girls and I were actually on our way to get some ice cream."
"Huh?" said Inojin, brow furrowed. "We just watched you down a bowl of red bean barely two hours ago."
"That was an after dinner dessert," replied Cho Cho as a matter of factly, "This is an evening snack."
Inojin rolled his eyes, but Sarada was on board, as if sugar were the solution to calming down her adrenaline. So, with their new group assembled, the nine of them made their way to the ice cream shop near the center of town. Sarada and the boys took the lead, all still talking about the movie, while Boruto and the girls pulled up the rear.
"Considering that Inojin is up there, and you're back here, I'm guessing things didn't go well?" said Cho Cho.
Boruto slouched and put his hands in his pockets.
"I thought things were going well during the last thirty minutes or so, but I guess side hugs at the movie theater don't compare to getting laid by a backstabbing friend." He narrowed his eyes.
Wasabi leaned over and whispered to Namida, "Did he just admit that he's not memorable in bed?" Namida shrugged.
"Hey, Boruto?," said Cho Cho flatly, "Your insecurities are showing. Inojin told me to my face that he and Sarada weren't hooking up."
"Of course he wouldn't tell you if they were!" snapped Boruto, "It's embarrassing!"
"Self-projecting, much? No wonder Sarada left him," whispered Namida. Wasabi nodded in agreement.
"I can hear you," spat Boruto. Both girls yelped after being caught and looked off to the side to avoid any potential eye contact.
"They have a point, you know," said Cho Cho.
"What do you mean?" asked Boruto. "And not that it's any of your business," Boruto threw back at Wasabi and Namida, "But I would be a very attentive and memorable lover."
"If you say so," muttered Wasabi, unconvinced.
Cho Cho sighed and turned her attention to Sarada and the guys up ahead. They were all laughing and playfully pushing one another, reciting lines from the movie they just saw and discussing their theories and interpretations of each element - completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding behind them.
"Did you not like the movie?" Cho Cho finally asked. 'Do I have to spell it out for you?!'
"I didn't not like it," said Boruto, "The parts I remember were fine, but I didn't think they were revolutionary or anything. I'll admit I wasn't really paying attention toward the end so I don't know exactly what happened."
"Too busy cuddling up to Sarada?" Cho Cho gave him a sly look. Boruto blushed and took the bait.
"Inojin wasn't the one who held her during the scary parts, that's for sure, so why is she hanging onto his every word, now? I don't get it." Boruto had removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms over his chest. Cho Cho sighed.
"Maybe because it was a good movie and he paid attention? And now they have another thing in common that they can talk about? Look, Boruto, in case you haven't noticed, Inojin isn't the only guy up there talking to her. You can't hold a girl's hand or give her a hug and suddenly have her heart."
"Well, why not?!"
"Just because a girl is sitting next to you doesn't make you entitled to her affections," said Wasabi, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So immature," she muttered.
"Yeah!" chimed in Namida, "Hugs and kisses are nice, but that's not all girls want from a relationship. We want someone who shows interest in our interests, and actually has genuine conversations with us. You need to be connected physically, emotionally, and intellectually."
Boruto was about to ask Namida to explain herself, but a stark realization suddenly washed over him. He'd been going about this the wrong way. He shouldn't have been asking his fellow men for advice; no, what he should've done all along was ask the women. He slapped a hand to his forehead.
"Ok," said Boruto, "I'll admit it. I'm confused, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. All I know is I'm crushing hard and tripping myself up by being jealous."
The three girls all exchanged glances that were a mix of pity and condescension.
"Fess up," said Cho Cho, "How long have you had these feelings for Sarada?"
"I'm not sure, exactly, but definitely since last night. I didn't really take it into consideration until then."
"So let me get this straight," said Wasabi, "you didn't realize you loved her until after you saw her in the arms of another man?" She stomped and puffed her cheeks up, "That's what it took? Really? Not even when you...you know? Disgusting!"
"Typical man," said Namida, glaring.
"When I what?! Why are you getting mad at me?!" whined Boruto, "It's not like I knew she was sneaking around with a secret boyfriend. We've been teammates for years and friends for as long as I can remember. We've seen each other at our worst and our best - she's seen sides of me that no one else has-"
"OK, buster, I'm cutting you off right there!" snapped Wasabi, trying to quash her own barrage of embarrassing mental images, "Let's get a few things straight. If you don't have the decency to even tell a woman that you love her, then she's not obligated to wait around for you! You were just in it for the cookie, weren't you?" She was glaring daggers, now.
"What- I thought we were getting ice cream?!" Boruto was starting to regret thinking that the girls would be of any help to him.
"Did you even ask Sarada what she wanted, or did you just decide on things for yourself?" huffed Namida.
"Are you saying...Am I being selfish?" asked Boruto. He uncrossed his arms and clutched the sides of his head in a panic, "Oh, my god, am I the asshole?"
"If you have to ask, then you probably are," said Cho Cho, "But I don't think you're a lost cause. I've known you long enough to know your heart is in the right place more often than not. And you must have some good qualities. If you didn't then Sarada wouldn't keep putting up with you."
"I still feel stupid, though," said Boruto, frowning, "I think I realized my feelings too late and she just moved on without me. I know I shouldn't be upset, but I still am; ok, maybe I'm more disappointed than upset. Can I even dig myself out of this hole?"
Cho Cho sighed, "You've got a lot to learn about women, but I'm feeling sorry for you so we'll help you out." Boruto's face lit up.
"You will?!"
"I'm looking at it this way," said Cho Cho, "we're not doing this for you so much as we're doing this for Sarada...or any other woman who may be foolish enough to fall for you. This is a service to women everywhere." Cho Cho threw a glance back at Wasabi and Namida, silently begging for their cooperation.
"...Sure, I guess," sighed Wasabi, "But if you mess up with her,again…"
Boruto threw up his hands in front of him.
"If she won't have me by the end of the night, then I promise I'll suck it up and let it go."
And with this promise, he and the girls were back on common ground and ready to map out the next plan of action.
But first, they wanted ice cream.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
A/N: Oof, I really struggled with this chapter. It didn't have much room for humor, but I wanted a bridge chapter to help Boruto finish sorting out his feelings. We are now officially past the halfway mark! Things are going to get extra heated, next chapter!