*PAUSED*𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄: Naruhina

𝟏𝟗. 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥

A.N:

Thank you thank you thank you FOR YOUR PATIENCE!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

I didn't expect to take a whole month to upload the next chapter- but with finals, work, graduation and going on a vacation- it was impossible to really settle in to fully bring this chapter home.

I love & appreciate each and everyone of you. I'm sooooo happy to pick up where we left off 😌🩷

Y'all know I love comments pllsss & 8K READS???? WTF? NOW ALMOST 9K???? I also can't believe I've been writing this story for 5 months now 🥹 I def wanna finish it before August!

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              𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗: 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥

Every Wednesday after work, a group of men from the seventh floor gathered at a private court to shout, break sweat, & boost their masculinity in a fun, competitive game of basketball.

"Left!"

"Bro pass!"

"I'm open, pass it right!"

And every Wednesday since the last week of August, Naruto and Toneri always played on opposing teams.  At first they just eyed each other, trying not to pay the other too much mind. But whatever would transpire Tuesday at work, came out on the court come Wednesday.

On one Tuesday

Naruto watched the elevator doors open at 8:55am, his eyes beamed seeing his baby girl step off in one of her cute little work ensambles. But then his orbs darkened seeing who was next her, holding two coffee cups.

And what made it worse? Hinata was genuinely smiling.

Smiling.

"I gotta be completely honest- I'm not much of a tea guy but this black tea latte? Chefs kiss, Hina."

"I know right? I felt like espresso would make me jumpy so I started trying out tea." She took a sip out of her cup, "But this decaf white mocha? Toneri, I gotta say you just might've put me on to something."

Toneri blushed at the fact that she liked his recommendation. He knew it was childish and maybe even embarrassing, but he couldn't help it. Hinata Hyuga reduced him to a little school boy.

The very next day at the court, Naruto was on Toneri's ass.

"Keep up."

"That was a weak shot."

"You look like you could use a break."

He didn't know what it was that had the blonde fired up. But the tension between them was only brewing hotter in and outside of work.

Toneri had heard about Naruto Uzumaki before he ever started working at H.E. It was years ago, when a viral video of a man no older than 17 did a backflip on a motorcycle while riding a residential street. For years Toneri had occasionally stumbled upon videos like this: Naruto Uzumaki, the son of a politician, putting his life at risk and getting thousands to even a million views. Yet Naruto wasn't someone who really posted on social media, it was almost always his friends posting & tagging him. Only after some years did he himself start posting his stunts.