Chapter 9
SAKURA
"So Sakura, I see you've managed to get a boyfriend. How'd you do it?" Her cousin, Mina, asked.
"Yeah, you didn't scare this one away yet? Wanna bet how much longer he'll stay?" Kyoka, another cousin, continued.
Sakura inwardly scoffed at how much disbelief her cousins were showing.
"Well, We were teammates before. It just happened, I suppose. We fell in love." Sakura said, sporting a fake smile.
CHA! How annoying can they get? It's not my fault Mina's fiancé left her. And gee, I wonder why?
Her inner thoughts tended to have a mind of its own.
She turned her head, trying to see if she could spot Sai anywhere, and she did. He was standing awkwardly in the corner, looking around blankly.
"Oh, I think he's calling me," Sakura interjected, trying to get out of the conversation. "I'll see you guys later." And with that, she turned around fully and walked over to where Sai was.
Creeping up on him, she laughed. " Why are you just standing here?"
Sai turned around, letting out a sigh of relief.
"It seems that I failed to account for the large number of stares that would be directed toward me." He deadpanned- side-eyeing a woman standing a few feet away from them.
"Yeah. Sorry about that." She laughed. "It's just that I told them that we've been together for a year now. They're just surprised that we seemingly lasted that long."
Sai stared at her strangely for a bit but didn't say anything. He offered her a glass of champagne before going back to sipping his drink, observing his surroundings.
"Say...if we are here as a couple, do you think we are being convincing enough?" He asked suddenly.
Oh. That made her study him in question.
"Well, I guess we could up our game. What'd you have in mind?"
He held his gaze forward, and she turned to look in the direction he was staring in. His vision was focused on couples in the middle of the venue. They were dancing on the wooden dance floor. She turned her gaze back to him only to realize he was already staring at her. With a raised eyebrow, he extended his hand.
A smile crept its way onto her lips, and she took his hand.
And there they were.
Dancing together, well, if you could call whatever Sai was doing dancing. He was stiff, limbs moving minimally but trying to replicate her body.
She gave more energy in the way she moved, lighting up at Sai's attempt at "fitting in."
"What are you doing?" She laughed, with no other words to express the very feelings she was having. Something between disbelief and joy.
"What do you mean? Isn't this what you were doing?" He lifted his arms above his head and shook them about, trying to mimic her previous "rodeo hands."
She laughed harder and shook her head.
"No! It looks so bad!" She couldn't help it, and tears were starting to form.
"Well, that seems like a bigger problem for you." He spun around, hands now down, now flapping like a bird with his hands almost at his hips.
How can he do that with a blank face?
She cackled.
She could care less if it wasn't ladylike and loud. She couldn't stop with how serious he was about dancing.
She didn't know how much time passed with them dancing around each other. They chatted about anything and everything. How the wedding was filled with people she didn't like, how their past missions that they took earlier in the week went, and even about some Interesting outfits they saw while dancing.
"How does that hat fit on her head without falling on her face? "Sai asked genuinely. Looking at a lady sporting a large yellow summer hat with a white bow that had its ends dragging on the floor.
"Geez, Sai, you don't just say things like that." She giggled.
"Well, I suppose it's only fitting. She does have quite a large head."
And that was how the time passed- full of laughter.
They danced fast. They danced slowly. Well, it wasn't really dancing. Sai had given up on trying to mimic couples around them by then and just swayed with her, one hand on her waist and one hand interlocking hers. There wasn't much talking during this part, but as the song was about to end, Sai spoke.
"I truly do not know why people are so shocked by you being in a relationship. I do not see how anyone would not want you." Sakura stilled. Before she could open her mouth, Sai excused himself to the bathroom calmly.
She watched his back silently, still processing his words. She felt her heart picking up. Her palms were sweating, and Sakura was oh so ever grateful that he hadn't said that when they were dancing.
What did he mean by that?
"I do not see how anyone would not want you"
She didn't want to jump to conclusions as she knew sometimes Sai didn't fully understand how people worked yet. But nevertheless, it didn't stop her chest from tightening. As she was in her mind, she heard her mother's voice ring.
"I'm glad you finally found someone who truly makes you happy."
Sakura spun around, her cheeks lighting up with a reddish hue.
"What?" She hummed.
"He seems like the right one." Her mother patted her shoulder. "Don't mess this up." She smirked before walking off the dancefloor.
Sakura made a beeline for her and Sai's table seats. She collapsed into the seat and covered her face with her hands. Yes, she knows she lied about being in a relationship with Sai, but they weren't that convincing.
Right?
I mean, we didn't even get to the finale where we fake kissed!
Just thinking about that plan made her groan with embarrassment. Just thinking of how they had planned that on the dancefloor, her face grew redder.
Dancing was just the first step of their plan. It wasn't even meant to fully get everyone, just made to initiate the rest of their plans.
Sakura dropped her hands and looked around, willing the blood to retract from her face with her Chakara.
She spotted Sai walking back to their table and quickly swerved her head forward, trying not to make eye contact with her.
He sat down and turned to her in question.
"What's wrong?" He asked after noticing her unusually quiet nature.
"What? Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?" She speedily replied. "In fact, I'm kind of hungry. Can you get me a plate?" She asked.
He nodded confusedly and stood up to get her some food.
AH GEEZ! WHY IS HE ACTING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED? DOES HE NOT KNOW THE IMPICATION OF WHAT HE SAID? Her mind raced.
Just as she turned back to take one last glance at him, she spotted him putting her favorite food on the plate. He grabbed the noodles that she so badly wanted but that she didn't grab the first time because she didn't want to look 'fat,' then took a spoonful of tonkatsu that she had moaned with delight after the first bites previously. How did he even know to go for the sweets she liked but didn't take the first time? He plated exactly what she knows she would have picked for herself.
She turned her head around and laid it on the table, her heart racing faster than before.
.
.
.
Uh oh.