✲Through the Blinds✲{Itachi Uchiha}

✦08✧

She waited until Sasuke's car disappeared from her side mirror to groan in frustration. Although she was safely parked on the driveway of her home, her conscience was beyond disturbed as [Name] stared at herself through the rearview mirror.

'I kissed another man. I kissed Vin.'  Her hands covered her face in shame; she couldn't contain her guilt and decided to curl her hands around the steering wheel to release stress. Was that considered cheating, fake kissing another guy for the sake of safety? Or was it a cheap shot and an excuse at the moment of action?

'Breathe... just breathe.' Sighing, [Name] pulled back her hands and dug between her legs, picking out her rings to slide them back onto her left hand. And as she caressed the white gold metal, she cringed. This scene was like something out of a movie, when one spouse cheats on the other and slides on their rings before stepping into their home...

Shaking that thought away, she reached behind her seat and pulled out the bag of the clothes she was supposed to wear. The scent of Vin's cologne marked all over her current clothes after she was pulled close against him, and if Itachi were to misunderstand... then an argument was sure to shake the house.

Checking that her surroundings were clear from anyone in sight, [Name] lowered her seat enough to speedily strip out of the borrowed chiffon top, replacing it with her blouse, and slipped off the leather pants, replacing them with her ripped-styled jeans. The borrowed clothes were stuffed into the bag before [Name] hid them under the seat and switched towards a mirror to her off appearance after a nervous breakdown.

Her lipstick faded after smacking lips with Vin so she wiped it clean with a napkin and applied lip gloss instead. With a shaky thumb, she rubbed away any messy, smeared remains of eyeliner and mascara. Lastly, her hands fluffed through her hair for a descent look, took a deep breath and finally gathered her courage to open the car door, exhaling as she stepped onto concrete and made her way towards the front door of her home.

***

Itachi had just finished blow-drying Mia's hair when the familiar beeping sound of a locking car turned his head. Setting the hair dryer aside on the counter, he leaned down at Mia's level, asking her to brush her teeth, and pats her head when she nods obediently.

Shutting the bathroom door behind him, Itachi sped down the hallway and across the living room, reaching for the doorknob only to be beaten when [Name] already opened it. Their eyes met instantly and she ducked her head as she stepped inside, her back facing him when she shuts the door.

"Welcome back...?" Itachi said with a tilt of his head since she didn't greet him first, like she always does. [Name] slowly turned around, a sheepish look glazed over her eyes as she glanced at anything but him.

"Itachi, um... I'm sorry, I—" She closed her mouth, hesitant. 'How do I even begin?'  "I didn't mean to—

"It's alright," he said gently, cupping his hand at her cheek. "Look at me, [Name]."

'No... it's not okay.' She did as told, but only looked at him once and hunched her shoulders nervously as she stared at the floor. "I'm so sorry..."

The way she bit down on her lip indicated that she was obviously sorry for the rule she had broken, or at least that's what Itachi assumed. He smiled and tipped her chin up to look at him directly. "Hey, hey... don't worry about it," he whispered gently. "Even I thought that my 'no drinking' rule was absurd when you're in a college party." His assuring chuckle made her wince, though he expected her to laugh with him.

[Name] sighed to herself, not sure how to break it to him, and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Um, no. That's not..." She felt jittery, uneasy about her actions but Itachi kept on smiling, assuming it was the alcohol still swimming through her system.