SasuSaku Shoujo Week Day 3: Work Place
Note: Before you read this is a continuation of a drabble I wrote in 2022 which you can read here. I strongly recommend reading it first, hope you enjoy :D
~~~
“I take it you two want the usual?” Sasuke didn’t even have to get his notebook out for these two. Not with the number of times they’ve come to bother him on his shifts.
“Yup, and to catch up with our buddy of course.” Naruto patted the empty spot next to them, Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You can’t always expect me to sit down and chat. I need this job.”
“Just go on a break, I’m sure you haven’t had one yet.” Suigetsu gave a knowing grin and of course he was right. Sasuke preferred to work even during his break (not that he was allowed) so he was often told by the manager or one of his colleagues to go and have one.
He wanted to show his parents that he changed but everyone kept saying that didn’t mean to overwork himself.
“I’ll be right back.” He went up to the counter where Sakura was wishing the customer a good day smiling at them. Her smile instantly turned to a frown, and she stiffened once she saw him.
“Sakura, the regular for Naruto and Suigetsu… please.” Sakura gave him a look but didn’t say anything, just turned around to make their drinks in silence. No small talks or chatter. As soon as she was done, she gave the drinks to him and went to the till greeting another customer with a smile on her face.
As usual, she always gives him the cold shoulder.
“I’m taking my break.” It wasn’t like the store was busy now and they had their other colleague who was wiping the tables anyway. Sakura only nodded still taking the customer’s order as if to respond to him.
Not even looking his way, even Naruto and Suigetsu could feel the tension from where they were.
“Geeze, what did you do to her?” Naruto asked once Sasuke placed their drinks on the table, he took the empty seat next to the blonde.
“Nothing.”
“You must have done something.”
“If I did, don’t you think I would have known and done something about it by now.” It was getting awkward to work alongside someone who wouldn’t even look at you. Sasuke knew Sakura hated him with the way she acted back in high school but at least she talked to him, annoyed him, and wouldn’t leave his side.
Sometimes though it didn’t even seem like she hated him, it was a back-and-forth type of banter which is why he was confused as to her change in attitude with him now. Their friends even teased about them flirting but Sakura would take it way too seriously and end up saying how much she ‘hated’ and couldn’t stand him.
Now she was trying to avoid him like he had the plague. She wouldn’t look at him, acknowledge his existence or even talk. Still, he couldn’t force her to do anything.
“You sure there’s nothing you did? Like anything specific?” Suigetsu asked and Sasuke shrugged with his arms folded. He didn’t know why his two friends were trying to interrogate him, like he said if he knew what he done then he would have apologized and made up for it by now. Did they think he want this? He missed the Sakura from back then.
“There’s got to be something, I remember she wouldn’t leave you alone when we were teens. She always tried to get you into trouble with the teachers but then she would follow you everywhere like a puppy, it’s like she wanted your attention.” At hearing that Naruto had a light bulb moment.
“That’s it!” Sasuke and Suigetsu jumped at the loud blonde.
“Sasuke you ARE a jerk!”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean think about it, Sakura was always around you when we were teens. Trying to get you to notice her and I mean you two were flirting a lot. She must have had a major crush on you, and you didn’t notice.”
“Idiot!” Sasuke couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I did ask her.”
“Jokingly, right?” Sasuke remained silent thinking back at the times he teased her.
‘If you have a thing for me, you can just come out and say it. I like a girl who’s forward.’
‘Relax, I was only joking.’
‘Why you!’
‘I thought you said you didn’t have a thing for me?’
‘I… I don’t.’
“Were you ever serious when it came to her feelings, and did you even ask her on a date?” Suigetsu’s eyes followed to Naruto and back at Sasuke watching the exchange sipping his drink. Surely, he couldn’t be this stupid, right?
“I didn’t… she said she didn’t have any feelings for me. So, I took her word for it.”
“Are you dense?” It was Suigetsu that spoke this time. “I mean with your reputation, I wouldn’t blame her either Mr. heart breaker.”
“And you know those were just rumours, I never dated let alone made out or have sex.”
The rumours around the school were that Uchiha Sasuke was a playboy. How that rumour ever came about he’ll never know but he also couldn’t blame other students for believing them.
He was Uchiha Sasuke the boy who broke any type of rule, steal things, and spent a lot of his parents’ money on unnecessary items. He was a classic spoilt brat who wanted attention from his parents when they gave it all to his older brother. Even if it was to get lectured. That was why now he was making it up by having a job and being sure to pay back everything.
To apologise to anyone, he wronged or start a fight with, given the exception to some who deserved it like Zaku and his gang for beating up Sakura back then. Sasuke gladly took the punishment but would never dare apologise.
Again, he couldn’t blame everyone else for what they thought of him when he went about picking fights.
“And you think Sakura thought they were only rumours?” Naruto asked and again Sasuke had no answer, it was starting to make sense on why she hated his guts now. Suigetsu face planted on the table.
“So that’s it huh? After everything between you two and you didn’t do anything? It’s no wonder she hates you now.”
“Okay! I get it,” Sasuke raised his hands in defeat and stole a glance at the girl who was smiling away. Whenever he was near, she was unhappy. Could it be she was trying to prevent herself from another heart break?
How can he prove he wasn’t like that?
“What exactly am I supposed to do to make it up to her then?” His two friends smirked.
“Ask her on a date!”
It was that simple.
~~~
Every day for Sakura it felt like she was walking on eggshells. On the day she had met Sasuke at the coffee shop she had a vision of what happened in her dreams. Of Uchiha Sasuke asking to meet up with her again and thus the two get close and he asks her out on a date at the very same coffee shop.
Sakura had panicked and ended up cutting their conversation short by asking if they had a job vacancy here. Don’t ask her why, she wasn’t thinking. It did end up as a bonus though as Sakura was looking for a job and she loved working here.
Until he came along asking for one, damn. That meant she was still at a risk of being asked out and everything in her dream coming true.
Once Sakura explained the dilemma to her friends, they all looked at her like she had grown two heads.
“Except this isn’t Sasuke the ‘bad delinquent boy’ or Sakura the ‘nerdy goody girl.’ You two are grown adults now. What’s so bad if you two do go out?” Ino couldn’t follow her logic, sure she understood now why she didn’t want to back then, but they weren’t teenagers anymore.
So why was her friend getting so worked up about it. Sakura continued pacing back and forth in her room with her arms behind her back completely stressed.
“No, no you don’t get it! I thought he asked me out when we were in high school, but it was when were ADULTS! I can’t let this happen, not now!” And she continued to pace back and forth.
“Okay but again Sakura you DON’T have a reputation to lose anymore. You’re not the Sakura from back then and he’s not Sasuke from back then. So please explain what you have to lose if he asks you out?”
“It’s the principle.” Was instead her reply, so she didn’t have a reason. If Ino didn’t know any better, she would have thought her friend was going insane.
“You know it’s your fault you’re in this mess to begin with.” Karin spoke not even looking at Sakura instead more focused on doing her nails. She and Tenten knew what was going to happen which is why they didn’t do anything. Besides Sakura was a smart girl, she should have known better.
“You tried too hard to get him to ‘hate’ you because you were paranoid if you didn’t do anything he would start liking you when that only ended up making him notice you. Do you have any idea how many times Suigetsu or Naruto tried to convince me to set you two on a blind date? It was exhausting dealing with them both, really, I should have gone along with their plan if it was meant to be.”
Sakura could only glare at Karin for saying that, but she supposed she should be thankful. Karin was close with Sasuke so if she did want to, she could have set them up but instead she respected her wishes and even helped get Naruto and Suigetsu off her case.
And she did have a point, if instead she acted normal and didn’t give him any attention none of this would be happening.
Ah-ha! That was it!
“Karin, you’re a genius!” Uh oh, the three girls looked at each other and then looked back at Sakura.
Yup, this was not going to end well… or was it?
And so, Sakura’s plan throughout work with Sasuke was to ignore him completely. If she did, he would get the hint that she wanted nothing to do with him and leave her be. Something which she should have done in school, but she’s learnt her lesson now.
Another successful day, Sakura thought to herself clocking out. She had said her goodbyes to her manager and was about to leave until she heard Sasuke calling her name and to wait up.
Sakura wondered what he could possibly want from her, I mean she would constantly ignore him. She waited by the door, they hadn’t even left the café curious, he was still in his uniform too.
“I… I’m sorry for not acknowledging them before.” At that Sakura raised a brow confused at what he meant and was it her or was he turning red? Out of character Sasuke took hold of her hand staring at her intently with a blush on his face.
“I… would you, like to go on a date with me?” And just like that Sakura’s whole world turned upside-down. Everything she had tried to avoid, trying to put him off her and the plan had failed completely.
She should have known better than to hear him out.
And the worst part? Sakura didn’t have the heart to turn him down.
‘Dear Diary, Uchiha Sasuke asked me out today at the café and I said yes.’
Perhaps they were meant to be.
