Butterflies and Worriment
Neji's phone burned a hole in his pants pocket as he sat. He was at his desk a few days after his night spent with Ino, nerves running high. Had he thanked her properly for her hospitality? Not to mention her gracious ignorance of his outburst. He wanted to text her his thanks just to reinforce his gratitude. Was it too late for that? Quickly, before he could convince himself otherwise, Neji pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled to his older texts with Ino. His finger hovered above the send button before a knock at the door got him started. She was early. Neji's watch read 7:45 a.m. Had Ino been serious before, when she mentioned not wanting to see him.
Neji's insides went cold and stone hard. He had lent himself to her, opened up, trusted her. And for what? His hope for friendship was foolish from the start. What did he think? A girl like Ino would never be caught dead with a guy like Neji. Unless of course, he were her tutor. That was it wasn't it? Ino was comfortable with him when he was her tutor and nothing more? Neji squeezed the phone in his hand at the cold reality placed before him. Because, it was true. The way she acted, Neji knew it was true. He turned his phone off and slipped it back into his pocket before getting up to answer the door. Normally he would tell people to enter themselves because he usually had work he was tending. But today was set aside especially for Ino to meet with him.
He slid the door open just as Ino was about to knock once more, her knuckles raised in the air. "Please take a seat and shut the door behind you," Neji said in his usual tone. This was who he was. This was the way he spoke. All before meeting her. Before she changed his life. Now, without her, this is who he'll be. There is no shame in it, not from his perspective. Neji knew this day would come, sooner or later. He knew that Ino was too much for him to be able to hold on to. She was like a breeze and Neji was like a boulder. They coincided only for a moment. Neji navigated through the office and back to his own large desk, sitting back in his seat and waiting for Ino to join him.
"Remind me why we're meeting?" Neji's voice didn't hint in the least of their connection once upon a time. Nothing of the way he felt when Ino touched his hand or smiled up at him. He sounded as he did upon their first meeting when Ino had pressed him for information about himself. When she touched him for the first time with the promise of more to come. But that was all over. Neji didn't have to remind himself. All pleasantries were dropped. He might as well have been going through shock for how abrupt he was in his responses. No remnants of his past life to be found.
