For the past two hours, I've been immersed in a daze, simply staring at a beautiful leaf and the golden calligraphy of a wedding invitation. I've had the simultaneous desire to crumple the sturdy envelope and preserve it in a frame. It's going to be a momentous day for Naruto and Hinata, and I genuinely share in their happiness, but why does my heart ache so intensely?
Perhaps it's because the man who brings tears to my eyes has been absent for half a year, leaving behind only the lingering taste of cherry lip balm. That tube has long been empty, and I haven't been able to find another balm with that same flavor. Sometimes, I would approach my cosmetics bag, open the tiny vial, and inhale the faint, evocative aroma of cherries, submerging myself in memories. But the scent has nearly dissipated, while Sasuke remains conspicuously absent.
I am aware that Naruto still embarks on joint missions with him, and Kakashi-sensei receives intelligence from him. But why am I left with nothing?
Anger courses through me, causing the envelope with its gilded letters to bend, and I set it aside. The joy of my friends is far too exquisite and pure for me to sully it with my anger and loneliness.
The trill of my phone breaks me out of my self-pity.
"Hey there, forehead!" Ino barks. "Where are you off to?"
"What's bothering you, you pig?" I grumble, absentmindedly arranging the papers on the table beside the phone.
"Bachelorette party! Hinata's! Are you forgetting everything?" my friend chides.
Glancing at the clock, I realize just how long I've been sitting here, staring at the invitation leaf, engulfed in self-pity. What a fool I am...
"Come on, let's hurry, get moving! Don't bother coming to my place; let's meet at the corner of Second Street," she snaps before hanging up.
Swiftly, I whirl around my apartment, gathering my things for the spa.
The onsen is delightful, with a pool exclusively reserved for our group, offering seclusion, warm water, and rejuvenating face and hair masks. Yet, I find greater pleasure in the delectable alcoholic cocktails.
Hinata blushes endearingly but displays a newfound liberation, much more uninhibited than before. Ino bombards her with prying questions, but she no longer faints.
"Why are you sitting here all alone?" Ino glides towards me as the others head off for snacks.
"I'm not merely sitting," I reply, taking a sip of my cocktail, allowing the warmth of the water to relax me.
"It's obvious. Will you spill the details about the latest mission?" Ino purrs, swimming closer.
I gaze at her, realizing that Ino is truly ready to delve into my thoughts, regardless of whether she's had more to drink than I have.
"Fine!" I roll my eyes and lean back against the pool's edge. "We met, and Naruto left us alone."
"And? Is that it?" she frowns.
"I spent a mere two minutes with him," I confess, feeling my body tense up from the weight of those memories.
"Well, well," Ino sighs, disappointed, taking a sip of her cocktail.
"And it was in a Genjutsu," I add.
Ino chokes and coughs, caught off guard.
"Yeah," I respond, taking another sip of the fiery liquid. I desperately hope that the alcohol will numb the memories. "Today just isn't my day. Let's go find Hina," I suggest, then pour some whiskey into a glass and swim over to join the other girls.
YOU ARE READING
The One. She was always waiting
FanfictionI waited. Waited for a long time, hopeful that he would express a desire to meet or send a message. However, none came. No greetings, no gifts, not even a simple inquiry about Sakura. He remains preoccupied, as always, somewhere distant, with no reg...
