CHAPTER 3
The next week for Naruto was absolutely hellish. First, there were female customers at the cafe that openly glared at him. He assumed it was their sort of punishment for, what they thought to be an 'inexcusable behavior' aka cheating on their beloved Sasuke-sama. If that wasn't enough, his face was everywhere, like he was some kind of fiend to the whole country and started the third world war. Naruto loved attention, but not of that type. It felt like the Uchiha was doing everything in his powers to crush him. Though he was pretty sure that the bastard didn't give a rat's ass about his existence. He did his work: made an announcement to save his face, image, reputation or whatever. Naruto's current, to say mildly, discomfort was of no interest to him. The blond grumbled. That son of a bitch could at least show some humanity, if there was any to begin with, and just tell to the press that they simply couldn't be together. But noooo, let's make Naruto suffer some more.
Now each evening, right before going to sleep, Uzumaki drank a huge cup of green herbal tea to calm his nerves down, and somehow stabilize his mental state to be able to withstand such press.
One more problem was Hyuuga Neji. Hopefully his secretary didn't elope to Bahamas and would start working next week. Not that this man was an eyesore, no, on the contrary - he was gorgeous. That, however, didn't mean Naruto was willing to get close to him. One pretty boy in his life was enough for him. The Hyuuga tried to strike conversation each time he visited the 'Blooming Shuriken'. Uzumaki bit his tongue every time, keeping his tone polite and respectful. The last thing he needed was problems at work. In the middle of the week he started also to get calls and messages from the brunette. Naruto still wasn't sure how the man got his cell number, but he guessed he had Ino to blame. Every time Neji came, the blond woman suddenly found some work to do, thus leaving them alone. He wasn't sure what she was aiming at, but he didn't like it one bit.
Now was saturday afternoon and Uzumaki planned on going for a jog in the park, since the weather was perfect: last warm autumn days, that he wanted to enjoy as much as possible. Then he'd watch a few movies with one-two bowls of pop-corn and then reading some scripts. You see, Naruto for many years now wanted to be an actor. For him it was intriguing playing different characters, trying to personalize them and bring the best out of them. It was something he truly enjoyed. While being in relationship with Sasuke, he took acting courses and passed with flying colors. He sent his CVs, portfolios, went to probes, but never received any feedback. Despite the failures, Naruto never stopped, he wanted to achieve his dream one day.
But back to the day at hand. The young blond was almost ready to go out, dressed in grey sweats and a red tee. He was sipping the last of his tea, when the doorbell rang. Light brows flew into the hairline in surprise. No one ever visited him at such time. It was weekend and everyone was with their families or loved ones. Warily, he went to the door and slowly opened. Only to come face to face with one other than Hyuuga Neji. The brunette on the other hand, nearly laughed at the shocked expression the blond was sporting. As quickly as it came, it changed to anger.
"Where the hell did you ged my address?"
"Hello to you too, Naruto."
The blond crossed his hands over red clad chest.
"I'll ask you once again: HOW. DID. YOU. GET. MY. ADDRESS?"
Neji gave Naruto a small smile. No matter how the guy acted towards him, the Hyuuga prodigy just couldn't get angry or upset with him. Yeah, people in love proved to be stupid at times. Neji was ready for such sacrifice if it meant he could at least convince the object of his affections to go out with him once.
"Ino helped me."
"I see...that insufferable woman... what do you want?"
"Would you join me for a walk? It's such a fine day, and I thought that a good company would make it even better."
Naruto sighed. The jogging plan instantly forgotten. He'd stay cooped up at home the whole day then.
"Hyuuga, why me of all people? Can't you find yourself a decent company from your milieu?"
Brown eyebrows narrowed in confusion.
"Why would I want to spend my free day with anyone of them?"
"Why would you want to spend it with me for fuck's sake?"
"It's simple really. I happen to have feelings for you."
Uzumaki Naruto stared...and stared...and stared until he thought everything began doubling before his eyes. He blinked a few times, stared some more and then had a sudden fit of hysterical laughter. Neji looked worriedly at his beloved, afraid that he'd hurt himself by laughing so hard. He didn't care of he'd be rejected, for he'd try over and over again, until the blond accepted him. Finally Naruto somewhat calmed down.
"You're such a bloody funny guy, Hyuuga."
"I wasn't joking."
The blond glared again. Sure, he couldn't nail the perfect Uchiha Death Glare, because it was something they seemed to be born with. But his own one was not much worse.
"You simply can't have any fucking feelings for me. You don't know shit about me. You only saw me a couple of times at those lame ass business gatherings. But let me tell you one thing, pretty boy, what you observed was just a fake image to satisfy the piece of shit they call Uchiha and the old geezers who were his business partners. It was just an illusion, an act. You don't have any bloody feelings for
me."
Neji just shook his head. How couldn't the blond understand, that the person he fell for was the Naruto he met at Ino's party, while before that he only had attraction to the 'cover'. Besides, those bluest eyes were the same, be it a fake Naruto or the real one. Eyes never lied.
"You are wrong, Naruto. I fell in love with
you after our encounter last saturday. Before it was just plain attraction to your looks. Although I have to say that what always drew me in the most was your eyes. They are the same, they wouldn't change just because you dropped the act."
Uzumaki was at loss of words. Had that man been dropped on the head one too many times in his childhood? On his doorstep was standing a person he knew nothing about, claiming to be in love with him. Could his life get any more fucked up than it already was? Apparently yes.
"Ok, Hyuuga, I get it. You're a creepy stalker that is out of his mind. Or you were stolen by aliens and they replaced your brain. Or perhaps you were smoking something? That doesn't matter though, 'cause the result is the same - you are out of your mind. I advise you to get some mental help. Now, stop the fuck stalking me and disappear!"
Naruto slammed the door right into the pale face.
"Creep. So much for a nice relaxing day."
...
The same situation with exactly the same outcome took place on sunday and Naruto was on the verge of ripping his hair out. He seriously considered calling a loony bin and reporting the Hyuuga in. But thought the better of it and patiently waited for monday to come.
Ino wasn't yet at the cafe on monday morning when Tenten, Neji's secretary, came to get her boss's coffee. Naruto sighed in relief, but it didn't live long. Just until the young woman handed him a medium-sized package with a warm smile. When she left, the blond opened the box and found a book inside with biographies and filmographies of the most talented actors in history of cinematography. Inside was also a small note in a neat handwriting.
'Dear Naruto, I hope this morning finds you well. Please accept my gift. I dared to assume that you would be interested in such book. I hope to see you soon. With love, Neji.' The blond hid both the book and the note, deciding not to dwell on it until he got home. First things first: he needed to wring one long thin neck right now. Talking about necks...there it was, entering the establishment. Naruto cleared his throat, smiling sweetly.
"Morning, Ino!"
The young woman beamed at him.
"Hello, Naruto! Nice to see you're in a good mood."
"Oh yes. After such an unforgettable weekend I couldn't feel any better!"
"Really? What happened?"
Uzumaki grit his teeth, smile instantly sliding from his face, being replaced by a scowl.
"You know, I found out I have a stalker. Even more so, he knows where I live and comes uninvited."
"He..he...w-who in the world c-could that be?"
Bright blue orbs glared right into the paler ones.
"Why the hell did you give Hyuuga my address and cell number? As far as I remember I didn't ask to butt in into my personal life!"
Yamanaka pouted. Had it been some other situation, it might had worked. But not now.
"You're telling me you don't like Neji?"
*loud suffering groan* "Why should I?"
"Well, for starters, he is gorgeous! He is also kind, smart, educated, sensitive, faithful, loyal and much more! And money is a nice bonus."
Naruto did something he desperately wanted to for a long time: banged his head on the table.
"Ino...please, stop that. I don't need Sasuke number 2..."
The blond girl bristled.
"Don't you compare him to that scum! Neji is nothing like him! I've known him for almost my whole life! He is not like that!"
Naruto glared. This particular expression seemed to dominate on the tanned face for the last couple of weeks.
"Uh-huh...care to remember for how long I've known Uchiha? He was like that too: a
perfect friend and lover. What did he do in the end? He shat right into my heart! I don't want a repetition of that. I don't want to waste my time on complete assholes. After all their glamour is gone you can see nothing but heaps of crap underneath. I think I'll pass."
Ino watched her brother figure sadly. That Uchiha trash destroyed the trust Naruto had in relationships, leaving him hurt and cold behind. But she could feel it, she just
knew, that Neji and Naruto would be good for each other. Her friend was truly nothing like Sasuke. She came closer to the blond and gently rubbed his back, while his head was still resting on the table.
"I know he hurt you. I know was - is - a 100% motherfucker. But I know Neji, I truly do. He is a good man. I won't press you into a relationship with him or anything. Just...can you please try to give him a chance? No dating...simply get to know each other. Maybe a new person in your life could take your mind off things, you know?"
Naruto straightened up and turned around to hug his dear friend, that was always there for him.
"I don't know, Ino...I just don't know..."
...
Uzumaki sat on the sofa and went though the new book he got from Hyuuga. The gift was really something. It was amazing how the man could find out what would please him. Maybe he'd give the guy a chance...one day...but not yet. He wasn't ready. It was two weeks since the break up and after four years of being together with the same person the loneliness hit hard. However, what hurt the most, was the betrayal of their friendship that lasted for so many years. First, Naruto had to get back up on his feet again, and then he'd think about everything else.
