Chapter 43

-Hinata's POV-

For the next few days, Prestige carried on acting as though everything was fine and nothing out of the ordinary was going on behind the scenes. We did a couple more interviews, had dance practices with Sai, and did a few photoshoots with the appearance that all was well, but really it feels like a wild storm is slowly brewing.

I think Gaara's having trouble sleeping again because he's been dead silent and keeping to himself, the dark rings around his eyes getting darker by the day. During dance practice, I asked him if he was feeling alright and he shot me down as politely as possible, saying he just wants some time to himself and doesn't feel like talking. Maybe he's getting sick or something because he's never said something like that to any of us, even though it's not rude of him and I'm not offended.

He and Sakura have been actively avoiding one another, too, which is unheard of. Those two are like two peas in a pod at almost all times. Maybe he tried to talk to her about her odd aura lately and she snapped at him. I'm just worried is all.

Sakura's obviously still struggling a lot with what happened between her and Sasori, them sleeping together and her dumping him. Not only is she probably feeling guilty for breaking up with him because of her anxiety about losing her virginity, but he's not taking it well either.

He's blown her phone up so much over the past week that she bit the bullet and changed her number. A part of me wants to feel bad for the man because he obviously cares about her, but I'm on Sakura's side no matter what. She's my friend and I'm going to support her before anything else.

Personally, I have a few different things on my plate to deal with. Kisame texted me and asked if Hidan could have my number, saying his bandmate asked him for it. I simply pretended not to have seen the message. I can't very well tell him no because then he'll want to know why and I can't tell him yes because then it'll be the same as when Suigetsu was harassing me.

Adding to that, the brunette woman from the party that Kankuro and I rescued still hasn't reached out. I thought for sure she'd at least text me to either ask me to keep quiet or thank me for stopping him, but nothing of the sort occurred.

Finally, things between Sasuke and I are as tense as they've ever been in the past. He tried just one more time to approach me after I blew him off in the hall during dance practice and when I panicked and pretty much repeated my actions, he didn't try a third time.

I feel guilty for not being honest and telling him what's bothering me, but I can't do that without coming clean that I've had inappropriate feelings for him. Not only that, but each time our eyes meet I get so awkward and nervous, almost to the point that I was when we first met.

Being forced to acknowledge the extreme difference in our experience has really messed me up. Of course Sasuke knows that I'm shy, but I'm not sure he knows how much I struggle just to kiss someone, much less anything more. It took weeks for me to be able to kiss Kiba and feel comfortable about it.

The Uchiha man is so used to these confident women who're ready and willing to do whatever it takes to please him, something I very much am not. Sakura was correct when she said he treats me a little differently from everyone else, which is quite flattering and warms my heart, but what if I admit my feelings and he wants to have sex or something? What if he gets annoyed or even angry when I panic? I'll die on the spot, I'm sure of it. Our friendship might never recover from something like that.

Circling back to the Hidan issue, Tenten and I decided to simply go to Kakashi and explain what I witnessed when it became clear that the brunette woman might never reach out. The CEO was incredibly receptive and agrees that we need to take action, but things can never be that easy. He told us Hidan's family is very wealthy, meaning they can afford the best of the best when it comes to legal help and council. If we try to go through with this with just my word against his, it's almost a fact that we'll lose.

So, Kakashi wants us to either find proof of his crimes or try once again to locate the woman from the party so she can testify in court. The only person I know from the party that might have an idea of who she is is Kisame and I can't ask him because I'm ignoring the text he sent me about giving Hidan my number. Every single time my phone gets a notification, I snatch it up in hopes it's her, but it never is.

On Saturday night, the time for LMC's annual New Year's Party arrived. It's a massive celebration, full of celebrities and performers. It's held a couple days after the holiday itself, but no one really cares.

Prestige, Akatsuki, Konan, Tenten, Rin, and many others are set to perform a song or two. With so many musical guests, we're not expected to throw a full blown concert. Our group opted to wear clothes that work both onstage and off so none of us have to change. We chose a color scheme of black, red, and gold. Luckily, Prestige was one of the first group's to perform, so we were then released from our duties and free to enjoy the festivities as guests.

A few hours into the party, just after midnight, I was standing with Yahiko and Deidara as the blonde man described the tattoo he's about to get on his chest. Over the past month or two, Akatsuki and Prestige have gone to interviews and even performed with one another, so we've all become friends. The attractive and confident men no longer make me all that nervous because I've grown used to them.

The unfamiliar sensation of someone's hand on my lower back suddenly made me jump in surprise and I turned to see who it was, only to nearly curse when my eyes locked onto Hidan's. Somehow I managed to bite it back and forced myself to appear calm for the sake of our case against the awful man.

Tenten and I agreed we should keep what happened under wraps until we're able to locate either some proof or the mysterious brunette woman. That being said, I'm not sure just how aware his bandmates are of his extra-curricular activities. Sure, I can't see Yahiko, Deidara, or even Kisame, who is somewhere in this giant room, being involved in stuff like that, but I also never imagined Hidan that way so I can't make assumptions anymore. So, I can't just bring the fact that he's being inappropriate with me to light on the off chance that they don't take my side.

My hand grasped his arm and I shoved it away, the feeling of his hand against my back making me want to be sick. The purple-eyed man grinned, but let me do it. Instead, he leaned closer to my ear so he could speak low enough that no one would overhear, "We meet again. Care to pick up where we left off, sweetheart?"

The little hairs on my arms stood up as goosebumps ran down my spine. He's scary and disgusting and I'm terrified of him, but I have to somehow keep him from realizing it. The other two noticed his arrival before I could fall over myself trying to find a response.

Deidara grinned widely, a vision of light, "There you are! We were wondering where you ran off to."

Hidan casually brought his arm around my waist with a cocky grin, "I was making the rounds, y'know? I saw this little beauty from across the room and had to come over and ask for a dance, though." My eyes darted between his two bandmates and my heart sank when I realized they were both giving me an expecting look.

"How about it, Hinata?"

Hidan offered me a hand and I glanced around the crowd for a friendly face to save me to no avail. Sakura's been using Sasuke as a buffer all night to keep not only Sasori, but also Gaara away and the Uchiha man has been letting her, to my surprise. Or maybe it's not all that surprising. He's obviously been just as worried about her as me, so maybe he's trying to be helpful in whatever way she'll let him. Gaara himself's nowhere in sight. Tenten's on stage, finishing up the last song of her set and Ino's near the bar, drunkenly arguing with her rival, Kayuya, as they take shots.

Left with no choice, I gingerly placed my hand in his and he grinned as he led me away from his bandmates. Once we were away from any familiar faces, bile rose in my throat when his hand returned to my lower back and he pulled me against him as we began moving to the ballad's slow tempo, "Come on, Hinata, where's all that confidence you had at the party?"

My eyes narrowed, but there's no hiding the trembling of my hands and fingers. He could feel it easily. "I-If you try anything, I-I'll make a scene."

His grin pulled over his perfect teeth as he looked me up and down, not even trying to hide the fact that his eyes lingered a few moments longer on my chest than anywhere else, "When you talk like that it just makes this more fun."

My breath got stuck in my throat as my mouth clamped closed in disbelief, making his grin widen even further. Sighing, I lowered my voice and hissed at him in a hateful voice, "You're an a-awful person."

His eyes narrowed and he brought his face closer to mine as he slowly guided us even further away from his bandmates, my blood beginning to chill further in my veins, "If I'm so bad, then why haven't you tried to get me in trouble? Your little bodyguards haven't even come to save you yet."

My glare hardened at his derogatory way of referring to Sasuke and Gaara and I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it again when I realized he'd moved us near a storage room. Hidan obviously intends to pull me into it so no one will see us, so I naturally began to struggle against his tight hold.

"What's wrong? You don't like me?"

I finally managed to tear out of his grasp, tears welling up in my eyes as I shoved his chest as hard as I could, "D-Don't-" I trailed off as I realized a handful of other party-goers had turned to see what all the commotion was. With one last glare at Hidan, I turned on my heel and vacated the area.

As I mildly fled the scene, a glimpse of red hair caught my attention on the dance floor and I hurried in that direction, hoping to catch up with Gaara. To my dismay, once I got closer I realized it was Sasori and not my friend.

My anger was fading and my anxiety was becoming more prominent, so I needed to get away from the middle of the floor and find somewhere safe to catch my breath, but Sasori turned with his partner and I froze in my tracks.

It's her ! The woman from the party!

Before I could decide what to do, Sasori's eyes darted over to notice me and then he whispered something to her. The woman met my eye and took on a panicked expression before turning and walking swiftly in the opposite direction of where I was standing, but I couldn't follow her because Konan's drummer came to stand in front of me with a frown.

Awkwardly, I greeted him as politely as possible, "H-Hello Sasori."

The redhead regarded me as casually as always, as if I somehow wasn't aware of his tense situation with one of my best friends, "What's up?" I shook my head, unsure of how to respond. The question seemed to just be a formality anyway because he quickly asked another, "Have you seen Sakura around? I need to talk to her."

Heat rose to my face. It's quite rude of him to put me in such an uncomfortable position by asking, but it's too late to go back now. "I'm sorry, b-but she doesn't want to see you. Please j-just leave her alone."

A chilling expression crossed his face in a heartbeat, but he got rid of it so quickly that I began to wonder if I imagined it. Then he came much closer to me, grabbing my hand when I tried to take a step back, and leaned down a bit to whisper in an irritated tone, "She's convinced you I was in the wrong, hasn't she?"

My limbs shook more by the second as I glanced between his firm grip on my hand and his serious face, "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about. Please let m-me go, Sasori. You're s-scaring me."

He rolled his eyes as he released my hand and I took a step away with a confused expression. I didn't have to ask him to continue, "I don't care what she told you, everything was consensual so don't stir up a bunch of drama, got it?"

Everything in me turned to ice. What did he just say? …Consensual…?

His light brown eyes searched mine as I slowly processed his words. As quickly as everything froze did it light into a wildfire and I found it hard to breathe.

She didn't like it.

She didn't like the sex because she didn't want it!

All of it makes sense now, her odd behavior over the past week, the hospital visit, and even the panicked way she reacted to Sasuke when they were dancing the first day back from Christmas break. I desperately tried to confirm my suspicion even though it wasn't necessary, just on the dire hope that I'm wrong, and struggled to get past my overwhelming disbelief, "W-W-What! Y-You-"

He groaned with almost exaggerated annoyance, interrupting my sad attempt to speak, "Ugh, whatever. Just tell her I'm looking for her."

Sasori turned to walk away, but my body wasn't stalled by my rage like my words were so I grabbed onto his arm to stop him. Who does he think he is, just saying something so serious and then trying to leave?!

He turned to face me with a look of disbelief, but then his eyes darted over my shoulder and he roughly tore his arm out of my stunned grasp, "What the hell's wrong with you?" The drummer didn't wait for me to respond and quickly turned to disappear into the thick crowd.

The frozen feeling from before returned, only to mix into my unbearable rage and I stood in a trance just trying to comprehend the terrible news I was just given. Sakura…She was hurt . There's no other way to say it. Sasori hurt her in more ways than one and she hasn't told a soul.

Sasuke suddenly stepped into my line of vision, an amused look taking to his face when he met my eye, "Whoa, what's got you so pissed off?" His words snapped me out of it and tears welled up in my eyes as I snapped my gaze to his in shock. The Uchiha man's expression fell as he realized it wasn't a joking manner, whatever it was.

Ignoring him, I turned and scanned the crowd for Sakura. When I saw her across the room, chatting with Ino and Tenten at a table near the bar, I rushed in her direction. I have to hear it from her. She has to be the one to confirm it or else it can't be true, right? Sasuke might be following me or he might not. I don't know and I don't care. All that matters right now is Sakura.

Her green eyes landed on me as I got nearer and just by the look on her face, she seemed to realize what was happening so she excused herself from the others and grabbed my hand before pulling me over to the corner of the large room so no one would hear us.

Once there, she released my hand, but I grabbed either of her shoulders so she couldn't try to turn away or avoid my eyeline, "Tell me it's not true!"

The look in her eyes broke my heart, but she still tried to act like nothing was wrong despite both of us getting closer to bursting into tears, "I-I..I don't know what you're-"

I cut her off, shaking her by her shoulders slightly, "D-Did S-S-Sasori-" A panicked, tragic sound left her lips to both confirm my unfinished question and beg me not to say anything else out loud.

The tears finally spilled over and I pulled her into a tight hug at the same time that she reached out. "W-Why didn't you tell anyone? Sakura… " Her shoulders shook, but she didn't say anything as her arms tightened around me.

My rage built with each second and I squeezed my eyes shut, "I-I…I'll kill him!" She shook her head against my shoulder and I was forced to put my bloodlust on the backburner. Sakura needs me to keep it together for her right now.

I soothed out her hair as she sobbed, looking over to see the other half of Prestige approaching with concerned looks. I wiped at my tears with one hand, ashamed to be crying when my friend has been struggling through something so horrible on her own. If anyone deserves to cry, it's her.

Gaara gently touched her shoulder when he got close enough, making her jolt slightly before turning to see him. Then she removed herself from me to throw her arms around him, sobbing loudly into his chest. My chest tightened at the knowing look on his face and the way he didn't hesitate to hold her like he normally would. Does he know the truth, too? He doesn't seem surprised in the slightest to find her like this. He whispered something into her hair as he attempted to comfort her and she nodded against his shirt.

A wave of exhaustion came over me and I turned my back to my three bandmates to try and get it together. I'm hurt that she didn't feel safe enough to tell me what happened, but also feel bad for unconsciously focusing on my own emotions when she's undoubtedly enduring so much worse. I felt a presence at my side and knew it was Sasuke before even looking, but turned to see him mentally struggling to figure out what to say or ask. Instead of talking, I shook my head. Then he left.

"We're going home." I turned to see Gaara give me a nod before he began leading Sakura toward the exit, not waiting for my response. Then, the brunette woman from the party crossed my vision as she headed into the ladies' room nearby. I glanced at my retreating friends and made a snap decision to follow the girl. Gaara has Sakura and I know for a fact no one will be able to deter him from taking care of her.

I rushed into the large bathroom behind her, making her turn to face me with a stunned expression, "What are you doing!" I offered her my hands in an attempt to reassure her I mean no harm, but she gingerly swatted them away with a look of clear distrust.

No one else was in the room with us, but she seemed worried someone would overhear so I lowered my voice in an attempt to soothe her anxiety, "Why haven't y-you called? I've been so worried!"

She pushed her short brown hair behind her ear and crossed her arms with a weak attempt at a defiant frown, "I thought you'd take a hint and leave me alone."

The fact that she obviously wants me to back off makes me uncomfortable, but I kept on for both of our sake, "Please, I just want to h-"

"I don't need your help!" Her pretty brown eyes locked hard onto mine, making my mouth clamp shut as she cut me off.

Then the door behind me opened and we both looked to see Konan enter with her usual annoyed expression, "Hinata, Matsuri, hello. Happy New Year." I glanced at the brunette, who I now know is named Matsuri, with a pleading look, wordlessly asking her not to shove me away like this, but she stomped past me and out of the room without another word.

Konan surprised me by not letting the silence carry on awkwardly, but also didn't bring up the tense aura she'd walked in on, "Why do I always run into you in the bathroom?"

I watched as she reapplied her dark purple lipstick in the mirror and cautiously asked, "Do you know that girl?"

The rockstar turned to face me with a knowing look, "She's Sasori's ex. They dated for like six years and she follows him around like a puppy. Why?"

My eyes darted to the floor under her intense stare, "Do you have her number?"

Her gaze hardened, "Alright, what's the deal with you two?"

I finally met her eye, more nervous than before, "I-I-I just want her number is all."

She studied my face for a long time before sighing and turning toward the mirror again to make sure no lipstick got onto her pearly white teeth, "I don't have it, but Sasori will probably give it to you if you ask."

Nodding, I accepted defeat, "O-Oh, okay. Thanks."

When I turned to leave the room, she stopped me with a slightly quieter voice, "Did Sakura really dump him? He's been a wreck the past week."

I didn't meet her eye again. I couldn't. Instead, I nodded, "Y-Yes, that's true."

Konan sighed again, sounding a bit disappointed, "That's a shame. I like her. I thought those two would be good for each other." Before I could lose my composure and spill the beans of what'd happened, I said a quick goodbye and stepped out of the ladies' room.

The moment I did, something soft landed across my shoulders and a hand was around my wrist pulling me in the direction of the exit. At first, I tugged against whoever was holding my hand because knowing what Hidan has done has had me on edge, but when I recognized Sasuke's messy hair I relaxed and allowed him to lead me outside and to his car. The soft thing over my shoulders was my coat.

Once we were on the road and it'd been silent for a few minutes, the Uchiha finally spoke, "Tenten knows we left." I pressed my hands together and slid them in between my thighs to warm them, shivering slightly as I nodded instead of verbally responding. After days of not knowing how to act, the chance of me saying something stupid is quite high.

Sasuke wordlessly reached over and turned the heat's dial up. My phone dinged in my purse and I dug it out with a red face, hoping he wasn't sneaking glances at my undoubtedly guilty-looking face. When I clicked it open, it was a text message from Konan with Matsuri's number and no explanation as to why she went out of her way to retrieve it for me.

I saved it, stunned and grateful for the help, before immediately sending a text to the brunette and asking her to meet up so we can talk. I waited for over an entire minute for a response only to receive none. Either she doesn't have her phone on her because of the party or she saw it and reacted exactly how she had when I tried to approach her in person.

"You feel like drinkin'?"

Sasuke's voice tore my gaze from my screen to his profile, but it was his lapse in hiding his more casual accent that somehow comforted me enough to accept his offer. He and I both have been raised to be completely professional at all times so the fact that he sometimes speaks informally makes me feel special. I still have trouble with it, to this day. Old habits die hard.

Maybe drinking a bit with him will help this tense situation. Things have gotten quite awkward between us and it's completely my fault, so if I'm able to gather some courage while drunk, like I had when I made out with Kiba, I can finally bring myself to explain myself. Maybe I can come clean and help him understand that it's not my intention to hurt his feelings or push him away, but I'm just scared to ruin our friendship or make him feel guilty.

A blush rose to my face when he glanced over at me and I averted my gaze back down to my lap, then he focused on the road again without saying another word.

After a quick pit stop by a liquor store, Sasuke drove us back to the house and before long we were in pajamas and hanging out in his room. An hour or two passed as we casually drank and played his favorite fighting game in silence, not a single word spoken the entire time. I changed into some shorts and a t-shirt while he changed into some gym shorts and a hoodie.

When we got home, Sakura's car was already in the garage, but it was silent in the house and not a single light was on so she and Gaara likely called it an early night after such an emotional rollercoaster.

I lost, once again, and Sasuke got up to refill both of our glasses without a glance in my direction. After playing this game with him so many times, I've actually gotten quite good at it and can beat both Sakura and Gaara, but the Uchiha man remains undefeated: the Prestige house champion.

I turned to cross my arms over the side of his bed and rested my chin on them as I greedily looked at his turned back. God, his shoulders are so broad and strong and he's so damn tall. Sometimes his physical presence just suddenly hits me and I'm reminded of how fit and handsome his looks are.

I was right about alcohol helping me relax because my anxiety has faded substantially. All that's left now is finding the right moment to start talking. Should I even tell him though? What if he's completely appalled and things never go back to how they were?

He's never had a female friend, that much I'm sure of, because they always end up falling for him. What will he do when he finds out I'm no better than the rest? Guilt bit at my chest and I swiftly turned back to face the tv before he could catch me checking him out.

Sasuke returned soon to rejoin me on the floor, handing me my drink before snatching up his controller and taking us back to the character select screen. Feeling my confession rising in my throat, I choked it back by chugging a good portion of the liquor in my glass, earning a surprised side-eye glance from the Uchiha that I ignored. My throat burnt as the liquid slid down.

The giggly and hazy drunk feeling from drinking alcohol finally arrived in full with that maneuver and I felt the last of my nervousness begin to seep away. As I sat down my glass, I noticed we were waiting on me to select a fighter, but looked at Sasuke's profile instead. He chugged some of his drink as well, seeming to copy me, before turning to meet my eye with a guarded look in his eye and a frown.

This entire night, since leaving the New Year's party at LMC, has been his last attempt to both comfort me and reach out to try and mend the cracking bridge between us. Somehow I know that if we don't make up tonight, he's going to be truly hurt by my distance-forcing actions.

Guilt warmed my chest yet again as I searched his eyes. Even now, after days of me pretty much going out of my way to avoid him, he's trying to help me deal with whatever's bothering me without knowing all the facts. I appreciate everything he does, not only lately but ever since we've met. I opened my mouth to tell him just that, but he cut me off, "We don't have to talk about it if you aren't comfortable with it. It's fine."

It's not fine and I know that. Sasuke's just trying to make sure I don't see him as a bad guy, as if I ever could.

My lips clamped shut for a moment, but reparted them when he tore his gaze from mine and back down to his controller, "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Beautiful, dark, and suddenly expressive eyes glanced over at me hesitantly and I continued, "You were right, before. I've been weird all week and it's not your fault. I-It's mine. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry."

Realizing I was ready to talk, he sat his controller down and turned his body to face me with crossed legs, "What happened? I thought-"

I cut him off, the liquor giving me courage to be truly honest, "I-I just like you so much, Sasuke. I can't help it. I've tried so hard to keep it together because…well, you know why, but I…" I trailed off, my drunken word-vomit losing its steam. Sighing in defeat, I remet his stunned gaze and admitted more firmly, "I like you more than a f-friend."

His eyes widened in surprise and I swear a soft blush even rose to dust his cheeks, but maybe it's just the alcohol affecting his complexion. Feeling the slightest bit of my nervousness threaten to return at the adorable expression on his face, I dropped my gaze to my hands in my lap and continued, "I-It's just that I'm so new to all of this and you're not. After that interview with H-Haku, I-"

"I fucking knew it."

My eyes darted back up, only to widen substantially when his lips were suddenly against mine. He'd leaned forward to hold the back of my head so I couldn't pull away. As quickly as it happened, it ended. It was so fast that I couldn't even kiss him back and he left me sitting there with a bright red face and mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Sasuke sat back against the bed with an irritated expression, pretending to suddenly be very interested in the tv screen, "You're a complete dumbass, Hinata."

Did he just… kiss me? Is that what that magnificent feeling was against my lips just a moment ago? I can't even remember now! Damn it! Please tell me that wasn't a dream!

My fingers danced blindly about the carpet until I grasped my own controller, intending to follow his lead and return to what we were doing before, but then I changed my mind. A chance like this might not come again soon. If I don't act now, I might never get another.

Then my body was moving of its own accord. His name left my lips in a drunken, breathless voice, making him look at me again. When he did, I came up onto my knees at his side and held his face between my hands as I firmly pressed my lips to his.

For a moment he was frozen, but then he began returning the gesture, slow and careful. Long fingers grasped my waist as the Uchiha man guided me in front of him and uncrossed his legs so I could sit between them.

A thick drop of desire sank into my stomach as he pulled me against him, strong arms holding me into place so I couldn't suddenly chicken out and run away. My hands left his face and pressed flat against his chest and stomach, a heat warming my face as I felt his muscles ever so slightly through the thin fabric of his hoodie.

He's just as proficient as I thought he'd be. I'm getting the feeling that he's a bit drunk, too, but still aware of his actions because his lips danced with mine as skillfully as if we've done this a thousand times before. The hand that was on his chest slid up so my thumb brushed against that oh so sharp jawline of his, the rest of it tangling in his hair behind his ear.

A soft nudge came against my lips and I allowed him to slip his tongue into my mouth without a moment's hesitation. Mine swirled bashfully with his, gaining more confidence by the second. The feeling of comfort, understanding, and utter lust was coming from his touch and I tried my best to return them, hoping my feelings were making their way over clearly. Sasuke's hands didn't stray too far from my waist, but he did slide them under my t-shirt to slowly feel the warm skin of my hips and back.

He tastes like a Christmas treat, liquor mixed with peppermint. He's so sweet and familiar and it gave me the courage to kiss him how I want and do what feels good and natural.

A soft sigh of content got caught between our mouths as the very last bit of inhibition left my limbs and I melted into his embrace. One of his hands came up to tangle into my hair as he angled his head to deepen the kiss further, only for my phone to suddenly beep loudly and startle us enough to part lips.

Wide eyes, full of heat and surprise locked onto mine and for a moment I was lost on what I should do or say, but the alcohol answered the question for me and I slowly gave him a few more kisses before I pulled out of his embrace to check my phone. With all that happened tonight, I can't risk not checking it.

To my complete and utter shock, it was a text from Matsuri. She's asking if I want to meet for coffee so we can chat in a more personal setting than a party with hundreds of people around. I responded with a potential time and location before clicking the screen off and running a stressed hand through my likely messy hair. My anxiety was swiftly returning. When I turned to meet Sasuke's eye again, he seemed both amused and confused, putting me on edge.

Feeling foolish for attacking him like I had, I dipped my head with a red face, "I'm s-sorry…I hope I didn't force you."

The corner of his lips tugged ever so slightly as though he was holding back a smirk or maybe even a grin, "Let's call it a night, Hyuga." I frowned, but agreed nonetheless.

We said our goodnights and after showering, I finally fell into bed as I grew more sober by the minute. The more time that passed, the more panicked I came to feel as I recalled what just happened in the next room over.

I did it . I told Sasuke Uchiha that I like him. Then I kissed him like crazy and he let me!

What the hell was I thinking? My intention was to simply tell him I have feelings for him that I intend to keep trying to suppress and apologize profusely for the fact, but I ended up pretty much attacking him. My eyes squeezed shut and I brought my fingers up to lightly touch my lips.

It felt so good, so nice. I always thought they were exaggerating in movies and books when they use the phrase "sparks flew", but I was oh so wrong. It was electrifying.

Did he kiss back because he didn't want to offend me and was a bit drunk like me? Or maybe did he kiss me back because he feels the same?

I rolled over and buried my face into my pillow, squealing with delight and electric nervousness as my stomach somersaulted at the memory of his lips against mine, his tongue swirling in my mouth so dominantly.

Kissing Sasuke was a complete one-eighty from what it'd been like to kiss Kiba. My ex-boyfriend was always cautious, always on edge with worry that he'd overwhelm me or push my boundaries, but not Sasuke. No, he kissed me like he could read my mind and knew exactly what I wanted. He kissed me like it was his right to do so and he wasn't about to abandon one of his freedoms.

I enjoyed it more this time around, that's for sure. I liked it more than anything I've ever done with any boy, not that I've done much of anything. The question is: where do we go from here?