Behind the Scenes

Chapter 10

"Susanoo is having another concert and he's releasing a new song!" Sakura exclaimed, her excitement palpable. Hinata couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm, but as she glanced at Sasuke standing behind Sakura, the memory of their shared secret weighed heavily on her mind. They had both promised to forget about what had happened between them, but it was impossible to ignore the electric tension that still simmered just behind the scenes.

Hinata blushed and looked away, her heart racing. "I-I'm going to go use the restroom really fast," she said, trying to make a quick escape. Sakura watched her friend leave with a confused expression on her face, wondering what had caused her sudden departure. She turned to Sasuke, who had been quiet throughout the exchange. "Do you have any idea what that was about?" she asked, curious.

Sasuke simply shrugged, knowing that there was no point in dwelling on the past. "Who knows," he said nonchalantly, even though he too couldn't help but feel the lingering tension between him and Hinata.

"So are you going to come to the concert this time?" Sakura asked. Sasuke shook his head. "Work." Was all he said. She frowned. "You always work. It's annoying." She muttered. "We talked about this Sakura. I can't just skip work." he said boredly.

Sakura sighed, frustrated with Sasuke's response. "I know, but it's always something with you. You're never able to come to anything fun anymore," she said, crossing her arms.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, knowing that he couldn't tell her the real reason why he couldn't go to Susanoo's concerts. "Maybe next time," he said, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess I'll just have to go with Hinata then," she said with a smile. Sasuke tensed up at.

"Actually, Hinata can't go either," Sasuke said, casually.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Why not?" she asked.

Sasuke quickly thought of a plausible excuse. "She has a family emergency to attend to," he said, hoping Sakura wouldn't ask any further questions.

Sakura looked a bit disappointed but understanding. "Oh, I see. Well, I hope everything's okay with her family," she said with a small smile.

Sasuke nodded, relieved that he had managed to dodge that bullet. "Maybe you should ask Naruto if he would want to join?" He said. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "You want me to ask another guy to a concert?" She asked, confused. Sasuke just hummed and nodded his head.

Sakura gave Sasuke a skeptical look before shrugging. "I mean, I guess I could ask him. He does love Susanoo's music," she said, still a bit unsure about the idea.

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "It's just a concert, Sakura. And Naruto's our friend. It's not a big deal," he said, trying to reassure her. "Oh and here. VIP tickets."

Sakura squealed then nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'll ask him and see if he's interested," she said, pulling out her phone to send a text to Naruto.

---

As Hinata was walking away, Naruto rushed up to her and grabbed her wrist. "Hey, babe," he said, trying to catch her attention. She turned around, her face breaking into a smile. "Hi, Naruto," she said. "What's up?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit nervous. "I just missed you," he said, looking at the ground. "I feel like even though we made up last night, you've still been ignoring me."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. Was it really that obvious? "Ah, no! I would never," she said quickly, feeling guilty. "I've just been busy, that's all. Sorry." She looked down at her feet, feeling a bit embarrassed.