Yes, I decided to write another one-shot. Hahaha, it seems like I'm always coming up with new things but never really completing the older stuff.
This story is loosely based on the song I'd Lie by Taylor Swift but I made Itachi the singer instead of Sakura, if you get what I mean.
Hope you enjoy it, and do review :)
I don't own Naruto.
He swore if he felt one more person attempt to grind against him, regardless of whether it was a female or male, he would explode. His head was already throbbing excruciatingly because of the ridiculously loud music and multi-coloured lights flashing all over.
Sure Sasuke had just turned nineteen and tonight was supposed to be his night. Sure it would make him seem like such a lousy big brother if he left the birthday celebration halfway but Itachi honestly could not find it in himself to give a damn.
Of course Itachi loved his younger brother to death, but the thought of having to drive a bunch of wasted kids home at the end of such an eventful night didn't appeal to him at all. Trying to make a drunk Sasuke go home was already enough to tip him off the edge of sanity. He had witnessed Sasuke intoxicated before and it wasn't a pretty sight. Plus he was confident that Sasuke had made at least one sensible friend in his lifetime; and somehow or other, he would end up safely home that night.
A blast of cool, fresh air hit his face as he stepped out of the club. It was bliss. Taking a deep breath, Itachi decided he would walk back to his house seeing as he had gotten a lift with Sasori and Deidara earlier that night. Even before he had the chance to take a step, a car swerved into his path and screeched to a halt in front of him. Itachi caught a glimpse of pink behind the tinted glass.
"Hey," The windows rolled down and a familiar face appeared, "you going home too?"
"Hn," He'd recognize that hair anywhere! He couldn't help smiling slightly even after his horrible night; Sakura was always a sight for sore eyes.
"Want a lift?" She replied cheerily.
"If it isn't too much trouble," Itachi finally said after looking as though he had been fighting an inner battle with himself of whether to say 'yes' or 'no'.
"Don't worry about it," Sakura assured him and opened the door as Itachi made his way to the passenger seat and slid in.
Being with Sakura was never an awkward experience. She could carry a conversation for five miles and still keep on going no matter how unresponsive the other party was. For the most part of their journey, Sakura talked about her night and friends. Itachi on the other hand, contented himself with listening to her soothing voice, sometimes contributing a little of his own opinion.
His gaze shifted to the rear view mirror every so often. From it, he could properly appreciate the way her eyes lighted up when she talked. Her eyes were emerald. It was, he admitted an unusual colour, but it complimented her shoulder-length pink hair well. Not many people could pull off green eyes, but Sakura sure could. Her pale, pink hair wasn't exactly normal either, but that was what made her Sakura.
To his horror, she caught him staring at her in the mirror. Sakura simply winked at him playfully and laughed it off. His breath caught in his throat and he could feel his cheeks warming in embarrassment.
"I hate how my parents are always pressuring me to find a boyfriend," Sakura complained, changing the subject abruptly. She felt bad for embarrassing Itachi and was trying to make him feel better.
"Hn,"
"It's so annoying," She said continued confidently, "and besides, I won't ever love anyone that way," Her eyes were focused on the road and she missed the pained look that flitted through Itachi's eyes.
"You never know," Itachi remarked and chucked weakly. She had no idea.
They settled into a comfortable silence. Sakura had sensed that Itachi wasn't in the mood for talking and she graciously turned up the radio and drifted into an easy silence.
Itachi was drowning in his own thoughts. He knew so much about her, it was unbelievable. Thinking back, he remembered her telling him that her favourite colour was green. He could even recall that it was the day when Sasuke had first invited Naruto and her over to the Uchiha compound. Whenever she was trying to prove a point, she would continue arguing until the other party finally admitted that she was right. Her birthday fell on the twenty-eighth of March. The memory of her casually mentioning that she had inherited her eyes from her mother once crept up from the crevices of his mind, and he wondered if she had inherited her hair from her mother too.
Glancing over at Sakura, he noticed that the colour of her eyes were enhanced by a light coat of black mascara and dark brown eye-liner. Her cheeks were fair, tinted with a light pink blush. Peach coloured lips curved into a smirk and Itachi wondered what she was thinking about. He was willing to bet all his money on the fact that she looked even more beautiful without make up on. The tinkling sound of her laughter reached his ears. Slapping himself mentally, he knew she had caught him staring again.
She had to know how he felt, she couldn't be that dense! He had been so obvious about his feelings around her, especially tonight in the car. He sighed softly and resisted the urge to take another peek at her angelic features. She was probably sniggering at him. It wasn't the first time he experienced how embarrassing it was to be caught ogling at one of his younger brother's best friend.
"Okay, we're here!" Sakura announced suddenly, jerking Itachi out of his thoughts.
"Hn," Itachi removed his seatbelt and got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it."
"I'm sure you appreciated looking at me too." Sakura teased, grinning when she spotted the tips of Itachi's ears flush red.
"I don't think you're in the right position to be saying that," Itachi remarked, He grinned slightly and continued, "but thanks for doing me a favour and pointing that out. I did enjoy the view." It was Sakura's turn to blush.
"Goodnight Itachi," Sakura smiled warmly and Itachi could feel his insides doing all kinds of summersaults and backflips.
He shut the door gently and watched as Sakura drove out into the main road. Raising his arm slightly in a wave, he heaved a sigh. That was as close as he ever got to confessing how he felt towards her. Chastising himself for being such a wimp, he strolled the remaining distance to his house.
Smugly, he thought about how he was one of the few people who knew she played the guitar. They had been in the same high school; she was a sophomore and him a senior. He had accidentally barged into one of the music rooms in the school and discovered her strumming an acoustic guitar gently. Afterwards she had made him swear on his life not to tell anyone that she played the guitar. He never found out why.
Itachi couldn't help wondering why someone so brilliant in her studies was so oblivious towards people's reactions to her captivating personality and stunning looks. She never noticed the truckloads of guys checking her out whenever she went to places like the mall or the beach. It took all Itachi had to resist marching over to those who dared to wolf whistle at Sakura and give them a piece of his mind.
He loved how she didn't need anyone to defend her, although Sasuke and Naruto could get a little over-protective at times. She could stand up for herself. If she didn't like the way you were treating her, she wasn't afraid of voicing it out. He admired the way she handled herself well in public and how she was so independent despite being so young. He couldn't deny that he found it extremely sexy either.
Climbing the last few steps leading to the entrance of his home, Itachi reached for his keys and unlocked the door to his house.
"Aniki."
Itachi looked around the house in surprise, he hadn't expected Sasuke to be home so soon. He hadn't expected Sasuke to remain sober either. Sasuke was lounging on the couch, looking up at him with a hint of a smirk on his lips.
"So, Sakura gave you a ride home?"
"Hn"
"You like her, don't you?" Sasuke asked after a while.
"No, I don't." Itachi replied calmly, and immediately retreated to his room.
"Liar," Sasuke shook his head and his smirk widened.