Author's Note: Thank you for the all the interest in this story so far. Thank you for all the feedback on this story.

Sorry for the long hiatus. Updates will hopefully stop being so sporadic. Trying to get back in the right headspace for this. Sorry this is a short update.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. I do not own the title of the fic; that belongs to Pierce the Veil.

Bedless

'Cause you don't even know you're an angel
Foolish am I for the times I come and go
These stars defy love, so I close my eyes
Over the And sleep inside your worn-in bed outline

-Pierce the Veil

Chapter 6

Hinata

Hinata took extra care in preparing her breakfast and readying herself for the day after the phone call. It was almost like putting on armor. Finally, things were looking up.

She went downstairs to poke around in the store, making lists of tasks to accomplish. Since Kakashi had proved to be so trustworthy so far, Hinata figured she needed to get him his own key, for emergencies.

He was the most faithful employee she had ever had since the store opened. He was even almost a friend…? Hinata tried not to dwell too much on figuring out their relationship. It was going beyond just employer and employee.

Instead, she focused her attention on ordering new stock and more coffee supplies because not only was business doing well, it was taking off.

If she focused on her work, she wouldn't think about the possibilities Neji had awoken.

Kakashi

During the day, Kakashi watched Himawari move around the store with unusual energy. At first, he wasn't sure what to make of the change. Sure, in the past few weeks she had perked up considerably. He knew it was self-centered, but Kakashi figured the change came from him being in the store. That had been the only change according to Ino.

However, as the day wore on, Kakashi was even more aware that Himawari's smile faded the moment she turned away from customers. He even caught her touching her index fingers together.

If he didn't know any better, he would have said something was eating her alive.

"Hey," he finally asked, touching her shoulder gently when there was a break in customers.

Himawari startled but smiled. "Yeah?"

"Everything okay? Like, really okay?" he asked.

He watched her pull her plump bottom lip in and worry it for a few seconds, avoiding his gaze.

"I-I'm just having an o-off day," she finally told him.

"How about when we close up in a little bit and I take you out to dinner. Everything is better on a full stomach," Kakashi told her.

Himawari breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."

After they closed down the store, Kakashi noticed that she was visibly calmer.

"Where do you want to go? I know, no ramen, but what is another option?"

"You remembered?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, of course," he winked. The faintest blush graced her cheeks.

She recommended a burger place a few blocks away. It had been a while since Kakashi had a good burger and his mouth started watering. His diet was sometimes awful because of writing to deadlines.

"How is the book going?" Himawari asked.

"Great. I may be done ahead of schedule, which would please my agent and my editor." When he went home from work at night, the story poured out of him. The heroine and the doctor had finally made contact and gone on their first date. Things were going well in the little village.

Kakashi realized, as he was walking with Himawari, that he had never been on a proper date like the one he had described in his novel. The women he had slept with in the past weren't interested in dates.

He reached for Himawari's hand, as he had done on the previous outing to the pizza parlor, enjoying the feel of the simple act of holding someone else's hand. That was something else the other women had not been interested in, no touching or cuddling or anything that might involve feeling more than lust.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Hm?" Himawari seemed momentarily startled that someone would ask her anything.

"Earlier?"

"Just some family stuff," she told him. "A stressful phone call this morning from my cousin."

"Oh?" Kakashi didn't have any family. His father had committed suicide when he was a child and he had been placed in foster care until he was of age.

"Yeah. I don't think it was anything to worry about right now, but I can't quit thinking about it."

"You know talking about it with someone else helps," Kakashi encouraged.

Himawari was biting her lip again int hat way he found turned him on just a little.

"It's about my ex and some trouble he got into," she confessed.

Kakashi realized that even though they had worked side by side for weeks, he didn't really know anything. The surprise was akin to having the rug pulled out from under him.

"Your ex?" he asked, feeling stupid. He had known that she wasn't married, based on his Sherlock-like observation of no wedding ring. For some reason he had thought her ex was dead. Maybe that was his character.

"Yeah, he's a bastard. My cousin is worried he might cause some trouble."

"Oh yeah? What kind of trouble?"

Himawari hesitated once more.

"Just trouble. I don't want to be bothered with him." The firmness in her tone signaled to Kakashi that she was done speaking about the problem.

"I won't let him bother you," Kakashi told her as they crossed a street.

During dinner, talk turned to other things, comfortable topics. Himawari seemed to have lost that haunted look again. Kakashi loved how easily they could converse and spend time together. It just seemed so natural.

When he walked her home, he started to ask her out, but didn't. Kakashi didn't know what stopped him other than it just didn't seem like the right time.

Instead, he opted for "see you in the morning," and left, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He decided that a short trip to the cemetery was necessary in the morning to visit Obito. He knew the dead man couldn't give him any suggestions, but good ideas usually came to him in the quiet.

Hinata

Hinata stood in the hot shower and cried. It was her one other moment of self-wallowing she was going to allow today. She had triple-checked the locks after Kakashi had left.

Hinata told herself that she hadn't wanted to tell Kakashi even a smidge about her past, but then she had and surprisingly it had felt good. It was kind of like when you know that you have to throw up, but don't want to, and then when you do, you end up feeling much better.

Wiping her eyes, Hinata focused on the fact that he had seemed to have more to say tonight when they parted. Was it something about work? She had forgotten to get an extra key made today.

Scrubbing the day away with her favorite lavender bath soap, Hinata tried to focus on Kakashi today. Now that she had gotten Naruto out of her hair and system again, it was time to move forward. Hinata was flattered that he had noticed she was not quite herself today. A warm feeling bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she turned the shower off and stepped out.

Maybe he had been about to ask her out, she wondered as she dressed for bed. Unable to quiet her thoughts, Hinata opted for laying on the couch and watching some television, but ended up drifting off.