Faceless Desire

Chapter 14- The Grand Opening Party

'I need to tell you something.'

Sasuke has spent the last few days trying to convince himself that his emotions toward Sakura, which he first noticed on Monday, are fleeting. He's failed because any time he sees her, he suddenly can't organize his thoughts. The Uchiha man is pissed off beyond comprehension. This isn't who he is. Sasuke Uchiha doesn't get involved with coworkers, especially female ones, and he certainly doesn't lose sleep because of it.

He's having trouble focusing to the point that Karin felt it necessary to ask about it on Friday, the day before the new locations' grand openings. That's why the man caved in and messaged Haruki. There's no one else who can understand what he's going through.

'What's up? Is everything okay?'

After a moment of hesitation, Sasuke responds, groaning aloud in his office at home as soon as he hits send, 'There's a woman that works for the same company as me. I need you to tell me it's a bad idea.'

It takes a few minutes for his friend to respond. The Uchiha man's sure he'll tease him, but he's wrong. 'It must be pretty serious for you to tell someone about it.' Sasuke should've known better. All this time, Haruki has been nothing short of supportive. There's no way he'd mock him for having human emotions. In fact, he's probably sort of relieved.

Since it's impossible to take it back, the D.O.O. decides to be uncharacteristically vulnerable. If there was ever a time to bite the bullet and get genuine advice, it's now. 'I can't focus on anything because of her. What should I do?'

Haruki texts back quickly this time, 'I can't just blindly tell you what to do! I need more details. What do you like about her?'

"Ugh..." Sasuke sighs, rubbing his temples. He would ask that, wouldn't he? It's a very on-brand question.

The man takes a moment to think about what to reply but surprises himself when his fingers start moving as naturally as breathing air, 'She isn't afraid to stand up for herself or speak her mind. Even if she doesn't know anyone in a room, she has no trouble making everyone like her. I've tried to dislike her for so long but I'm tired of it.'

After hitting send, he finds himself sending another message, too. 'And she goes out of her way to do things for me without expecting anything in return. She notices and remembers things that no one else does.' His mood falls as he also says, 'I only wish she was doing it because she feels the same.'

'How do you know she doesn't? Have you confessed?'

'No, but she's like that with everyone. It's like she can't help herself from trying to take care of people.'

The man responds, 'So, you think she doesn't see you as someone special?'

'Right. I should just ignore it anyway. Getting involved will only end badly. Either we'll break up and cause problems at work, or we won't and my parents will make her life hell because she's not from a prestigious family.'

With that, Sasuke decides on his own not to burden the pinkette with his pitiful emotions. It's for her own sake because being with him will only make her suffer if she feels the same way at all. He's also pretty anxious about being turned down because he knows she'll easily go back to acting normally, and he's sure he won't be able to do the same.

'I don't know. Maybe you should make a subtle move to see how she reacts. It'd be a shame to give up before giving it a try. Besides, isn't it up to her what she does with her future? It wouldn't be fair to make that choice for her.'

Now, Sasuke's torn because he knows Haruki's right. Even if Sakura doesn't feel the same, if she ever finds out that he made assumptions without her input, she'd be offended at the minimum. Her constant encouragement to properly communicate is one of the things the Uchiha man wishes he could learn. He's envious since he lacks social skills above all else.