Like a Dream || borusara

8.

As much as it pained her to do so, Sarada turned Boruto down when he asked to come in after he walked her home from work that night. She lied, saying she had a lot of homework to catch up on, but in reality, she had some serious thinking to do and he was always so distracting.

So distracting, she couldn't help but think it was intentional.

Every time a concerning thought crossed her mind, Boruto was suddenly showering her with compliments or smashing his lips to hers in an all-consuming kiss. It was starting to feel like he didn't want her to think too hard, but now because of his behavior, she was growing even more suspicious.

Boruto was great. Their relationship was arguably going well. He seemed so interested in her... honestly, maybe too interested in her.

Or was she crazy for acting so skeptical when a smart, good-looking guy actually liked her?

But wasn't it weird that he was always available to hang out when she asked?

Then again he did mention as a transfer student he didn't have a lot of other friends...

Sarada dropped her bag and fell back onto her bed with a sigh. She went back and forth in her mind all day, always finding a somewhat reasonable justification for Boruto's odd behavior. But she still just couldn't shake the feeling that he's hiding something major... and not just that he can't remember what he studies in school.

Dark eyes stared up at the ceiling as she began unpacking all the little red flags that she let herself ignore because someone so handsome was paying attention to her. The most concerning probably being that he seemed to know things about her that she never told him.

He knew where she'd be at any given time like he was well versed in her daily routine. Almost as if he'd been observing her for some time...

She couldn't possibly guess for how long, but the idea that Boruto followed her around in the shadows, actually made his uncanny ability to jump in and save her at the exact moment she needed make a lot more sense.

Sarada grabbed the nearest pillow and shoved it into her face before letting out a frustrated scream. Could Boruto actually be stalking her?

But he seemed so... normal.

She really liked him!

A sharp pang in her chest suddenly made her question: were these thoughts her intuition warning her of danger or was her insecurity sneaking in to sabotage her budding relationship?

*****

It was probably an ill-conceived idea, but Sarada decided she needed to know more about Boruto to determine if he really was a stalker. The following day she texted him asking him to meet up with her for coffee before she had her first class.

"What are you up to today? Do you have class?" Sarada asked as Boruto held open the door of the coffee shop for her. She thought it was a bit weird that he knew her entire class schedule while she knew nothing of his.

Blue eyes observed her for a moment as they made their way through the university's quad to Sarada's first class of the day. "Nothing much," Boruto replied with a casual shrug. "No classes today, so I suppose I'll just get some studying done."

"Mmm," Sarada hummed and sipped her cold brew. On a different day, such a vague answer wouldn't have phased her, but now she was wondering if he was telling the truth.

At the entrance of the arts building, Sarada bid him farewell with a kiss, then pretended to enter the building, only to hide behind a pillar instead. Vigilant dark eyes watched as Boruto tucked his hand into his pocket and sauntered away.