Unexpected Hearts / SasuSaku

Unforgiving Confrontations

"Naruto invited us to a party; I think it's Suigetsu's birthday," Hinata informed her friends.

"Another party! Woohoo!" exclaimed Ino.

Sakura pondered the invitation, aware that Sasuke would likely be present. She hadn't had much time to process everything between them. With the end of the semester approaching, she needed to focus on her pre-med classes.

"Are you coming with us, Sakura?" Ino interrupted her thoughts.

"You can stick with us the whole time if you want to avoid Sasuke," Hinata reassured.

Sakura wanted to decline, but she found herself agreeing. "Yeah, sure. Why not? When is it?" she asked.

"I think Naruto mentioned it's on Saturday night. I'm pretty sure," replied Hinata.

Sakura welcomed the distraction. Perhaps spending time with friends, enjoying some drinks, wouldn't be so bad. Besides, she didn't want the situation with Sasuke to disrupt her life any longer. She had a life before Sasuke, so she could certainly have a life without him.

After all, he was merely her roommate.

Or was he?

...

Sakura kept herself busy with packing, eager to start early since she would be moving out in a couple of weeks. It was difficult to believe how much time had passed since she moved in with Sasuke. To be honest, their relationship hadn't progressed as much as she had hoped when they first started living together. He remained confusing and closed off, and their connection seemed to be mostly sexual.

She would deny to herself that there was anything more, but deep down, Sakura wondered if she was falling in love with him. It was hard to explain why. Sakura knew she cared about him genuinely and wanted the best for him, which was why she never insisted on prioritizing their relationship over his studies. At least, that's what she thought.

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice Sasuke entering the apartment. He maintained his usual closed-off demeanor, wearing headphones and a hoodie that covered his head.

He slumped onto the couch without uttering a word. Sakura didn't want to leave their issues unresolved, especially considering their distant behavior and the reconnection of their families, which made it even more important for them to address the tension.

"Hey," Sakura broke the silence.

Sasuke didn't look up, but he grunted in acknowledgment. "Hn."

"I heard Suigetsu is having a party on Saturday. Are you planning to go?" Sakura tried to engage him in a conversation, hoping to find some common ground.

"Why wouldn't I? It's my friend's birthday," Sasuke responded in a cold tone.

Sakura felt the urge to slap him and force him to communicate. She knew that there were underlying issues that needed to be addressed.

"Are you going?" Sasuke asked, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Oh, now he wants to talk?

Caught off guard by his question, Sakura needed to set aside the tension, at least for the moment. "Yeah, Naruto invited us," Sakura replied.

"Us?" Sasuke questioned, his thoughts racing, assuming Sakura found herself a date.

"Hinata and Ino," Sakura clarified, correcting his misconception.

"Okay," Sasuke dryly responded.

Fuming with anger, Sakura couldn't contain herself any longer and stood up abruptly, leaving her packing unfinished.