Purpose and Expectation

Chapter 8: Date

Naruto was never nervous about anything. Never. He always charged head-on with a fist raised and an air of confidence in everything in his life. He bounded through life with a smile on his face that could brighten any room he walked into.

Now... he was beginning to understand why everyone in school had called Konohamaru 'Slip n Slide' whenever he started to stutter. His palms were sweaty, and his back was sweaty; even the backs of his knees were sweating! He paced back and forth, waiting outside the building where Hinata's apartment was as he worked up the courage to go up there.

Hinata had spent the majority of her early evening with Hanabi, rooting through her closet and trying on outfit after outfit. After finally deciding on one, they chatted for a bit, Hanabi leaving and claiming she had a 'meeting' to go to. Hanabi always had various work meetings to attend, so that wasn't a surprise to Hinata. Neji was nowhere to be found, though, and that was something Hinata found truly strange. She would have expected Neji to show up and start interrogating her again about her call.

Now that she was dressed, she paced back and forth, ensuring she had everything she needed. Keys. Wallet. Identification. Breath mints. Other... various things in her purse. Perfect. Okay. Everything was good to go. She didn't forget anything, did she? Just to be sure, she went through everything a third time and a fourth time...

Naruto finally worked up the courage to go up to her apartment, taking deep breaths before knocking on her door. Someone had been kind enough to let him in the main entrance, so she hadn't had to buzz him in from below. Hearing the knock, Hinata opened the door to his wide smile, feeling her worries melt away.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto greeted with a wave. He was taken aback by her appearance. Hinata, with Hanabi's assistance, had settled on a dark purple cocktail dress that reached to her knees, with a bit of a ruffled skirt and halter top, complete with tiny sequins sewn on to give it a bit of a shimmer. Her hair was curled and draped over one shoulder, and she'd paired it with a pair of cute strappy heels in a matching shade. She was uncertain about the outfit, feeling like she might have overdressed for their date, but Naruto's usual black suit helped alleviate those concerns.

"Hey," she greeted shyly, wishing she hadn't blushed so profusely at his greeting. "I'm, um... I'm ready to go whenever you are." No more recounting and octuple-checking everything that was in her handbag. It was time to go. Naruto nodded and beckoned for her to follow, leading her down out of the apartment building and to his car. It was a short drive to the restaurant, and thankfully they had a reservation, making things that much easier for them. The restaurant was packed, more so than Hinata was expecting!

"So... have you, um, ever been here?" Naruto asked with an awkward smile.

"No, I haven't," she replied. She knew of the restaurant, but she'd never taken the time to visit. She'd heard they had delicious ramen, which she was looking forward to.

"Really?" Naruto was surprised. Hinata seemed like a connoisseur for food! "Well, I think you'll like it. They've got the best ramen in town! I eat here like... a lot," he admitted as he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look. "But seriously, it's so tasty. I think half the wait staff knows me by name." Hinata's eyes widened with surprise before she laughed. Naruto was quirky, and he seemed fun.

They talked back and forth, and Hinata found it easier to hold a conversation with him than she was expecting. In fact, she was talking more than she ever did with anyone; she wasn't the most social person and found most of the time she could only hold conversations if they were professional or if they were with Neji. She preferred quiet, but with Naruto, there was something different about it. His mere presence put her entirely at ease, even if they were talking about the most mundane of things.