Temptation (NEW)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Maybe I should have taken the chance to ditch this whole scene when I had it. The cold stares from Temari and Ino are enough to make the whole room freeze over. Shikamaru has nearly went through a whole pack of cigarettes since everyone had arrived. He smokes like a fiend when he's stressed, and he surely looks freaked out his mind. Choji is innocently doing his best to please everyone and I think I would have left already if it weren't for him. If we can just get through this damn dinner, I think we just might make it.

We were all pretty much through our meal by now. I sat pretty quietly to avoid gathering too much attention. Sasuke seemed to do the same. It was easier this way to get out of here unscathed. The home stretch was just in our grasp until someone caught us off guard.

"I'm afraid we have never actually had a chance to talk." I knew the voice was directed to Sasuke. I could feel Sasuke tense up beside me, freezing out of surprise for a second. My eyes grazed over to Gaara, who sat almost directly in front of us at the table in the restaurant. He had his eyes set on Sasuke and I, looking soft and open to whatever was to come. I still wanted to proceed with caution.

"I suppose it's only fair that I get to know the guy that made Naruto ditch me at party," he chuckled. I didn't sense any malice, but I refrained from reacting anyways. Better safe than sorry with his sister around.

"Sorry about that," Sasuke shrugged, but he almost sounded kind of genuine.

"No, I appreciate it," Gaara laughed. "I managed to find someone I really like because of it."

"Ouch," I choked out. It was an instinctual reaction. Obviously I'm not worried about how he actually felt about me, but damn. I thought I had a little more pull over him than that.

"Oh, c'mon," Gaara teased. "You were too busy being in love with Sasuke to really care about me that way. I think it's fair."

Oh God.

Oh God.

Not the "L" word.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Sasuke choked a little on his water. The air in my lungs have been zapped away and I think I might have stopped breathing for a few solid seconds. Sasuke and I have danced around the subject, but never explicitly said the words directly to each other. I figured maybe Gaara would say something shady, if anything. I think I would have preferred a jab at how shitty we acted. But claiming I love him? Before actually saying it out loud to him? Just shoot me, please.

"Thanks to you, I managed to meet Lee," Gaara concluded.

Oh God, he would have chosen Lee over me, too? How much more humiliating can this get?

"I guess it all worked out for us," Sasuke replied. His tone was borderline sarcastic. Either he is ready to run away from me, or he is also surprised about Lee being his dream guy. No offense to Lee, of course. He's a great guy but really fucking weird sometimes.

"Except for Sakura," Ino chimed in with a frown. "It didn't work out for her."

I hadn't noticed she was paying attention to anything being said. I'm still currently going through the stages of grief to notice anything around me. Turns out I'm not so lucky tonight.

"I think Sakura is doing just fine watching my life fall apart," Sasuke cut back through gritted teeth.

Oh good, now everyone is stopping to watch this showdown. It was inevitable, wasn't it?

"Sakura cared about you," Ino snapped. "I think she deserved an explanation."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gave a strained laugh. "Cared about me? She's definitely the one who told my parents."

Ino's face contorted in disgust. "She definitely did not."

"I don't believe that."

"Sakura told me she would have been okay if you had just told her about everything," Ino argued. "The only thing she has done is sulk around because she figured you would have trusted her more."

I really hate how quiet this table is. Looking just a little past Ino, I can see Shikamaru's expression. He doesn't have to say anything, but I just know he is regretting leaving the house more than usual right now. I'm sure the cigarettes in his pocket are going to be chainsmoked as soon as we leave. I might even ask him to spare me one.

"She seemed a little less sad and more pissed off when she had texted me," Sasuke explained with a huff. If looks could kill, Ino would be out on the floor.

Ino crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you be pissed if your significant other that you've dated since high school kissed someone else at a party?"

"I've been fucking him for weeks," Sasuke blurted out just a tad bit too bluntly. "I think she would have been pissed regardless if I told her."

I didn't think the night could get any worse, but it did. My face was on fire from embarrassment. Maybe no one will notice if I slither underneath the table to hide?

"Yeah, but it would have been a whole lot less humiliating if done in private," Ino huffed.

Shikamaru waved a hand to get their attention with a perturbed look on his face. "As much as I love watching people get into stupid arguments, I think I could live without one on my birthday."

"I was kind of enjoying the shitshow," Kankuro chimed in, only to be painfully nudged by his sister. It was more like a hard jab to his ribs.

"I don't understand why you would even allow him to be here, Shikamaru," Ino whined. She was getting flustered with emotion, despite none of this really concerning her. "We all know Naruto fucked over Gaara by being with him, and Sasuke fucked over everything else. It was an all-around bad idea to have him be here."

Gaara cleared his throat. "Naruto and I were never exclusive, just so you know."

God, who would have thought that he'd be first to defend me? Lucky Lee. And to my surprise, Shikamaru looked pissed at her statement. His jaw was clenched as he cut his eyes sharply at everyone around him. I could feel the heat in his eyes, something I rarely ever witnessed from him. One thing about Shikamaru is that he never gets worked up. She clearly struck a nerve just now to get this kind of reaction.

"Naruto is my best friend so I will always stand by whatever he does," Shikamaru sternly spoke. "If Sasuke makes him happy, then he will sit at this table and everyone will shut up about it. I couldn't honestly give less of a fuck about anything else."

Everyone seemed to straighten up in their seats, keeping their eyes on their plates in front of them. No one was stupid enough to argue with Shikamaru. I wondered what Sasuke could be thinking right about now. Is he pleased? Relieved? Shocked to be defended? He was just as quiet as the rest of them. Myself, though? I felt pretty smug. Not even Temari would dare tread on Shikamaru's opinion now.

"Thanks," I muttered quietly, biting back a smirk.

A hand wrapped around mine underneath the table, squeezing softly. A gentle touch from Sasuke only added to my relief. Maybe everything is starting to work itself out.

"Well, I could use a drink after that," Kankuro joked to cut the tension, but it came out more as a suggestion.

Murmurs of agreement popcorned around the table. I think I might have spoke too soon. Alcohol never quite mixes well in this group.