A/N: Howdy folks! Welcome back to another chapter of Ramen Stall Romance! Read on as Ayame and Naruto's relationship with each other blossom from a steady friendship into something more! Nothing too much though since this is still a T rated fic. I hope you all enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters.
Ramen Stall Romance
By Yangster
Chapter #5: Restaurant Romance in a Ramen Stall
Things felt just a bit different.
Was it because of the fact that he had just completed his first ever mission outside of village? Was it because he had just recently bought a new pairs of socks? Perhaps it was because he had grown a few inches taller.
Or maybe it was because Ayame was acting differently around him.
He could not put his finger on exactly how Ayame was acting differently. There were just too many subtle things, like the way Ayame's tone of voice just sounded a bit sweeter, or how whenever she touched him, her fingers would linger for just a split-second. It was not just that. Naruto had also caught on to a few other differences ever since he came back from the Land of Waves.
There were now moments when Naruto would catch Ayame sneaking glances at him whenever she thought that he was focused or busy on something. He was sure that he caught most of them, but who knows?
Placing the onions into the pot of steeping broth, Naruto turned his head to look at where Ayame was. He caught her watching him again. They shared eye contact for just a split-second before Ayame turned her head back to look down at her cutting board.
Naruto was sure that she had a blush on her face.
In turn, he felt his cheeks heat up at that thought.
He really enjoyed this little game between the two of them. She would look at him first and then he would turn to look at her. They would share some awkward silence between the two of them before blushing and going back to whatever they were doing. It made his chest fill with his oddly pleasant warmth whenever this happened.
Naruto pursed his lips as he took a deep breath.
Perhaps after dinner rush, he could ask her out to a late night stroll around the market district. Naruto felt his cheeks flush once more as he realized what it meant if she were to say yes.
It would be a date.
Was he ready for one?
Naruto shrugged inwardly before washing his knife and putting it away. He then turned around to get a towel.
"Hey, Ayame. I got all the prepwork done. The onions are in the pot," stated Naruto casually as he looked over at her.
"Great!" exclaimed Ayame as she paused her work for a moment to flash Naruto a toothsome smile, "I'll be finished in a few seconds."
Naruto nodded, "Alright."
Looking around something to do, Naruto quickly got to work and began washing what dishes were in the sink. Humming a joyful tune, Naruto quickly finished his little, self-imposed task just in time to see Ayame pour in the ginger that she had grated into the pot.
"Alright. Now we just gotta wait for it all to simmer and we'll be ready for dinner rush!" cheered Ayame as she pumped a fist into the air, "Team Naruyame, job finished!"
Naruto chuckled at the little nickname that Ayame had given them, "Sweet!"
She raised a hand to which he quickly responded by high-fiving it.
"Alright, so what do we do while we wait?" asked Ayame as she clapped her hands together and grabbed a towel.
He smiled at her as he pulled out two stools, "Same as always. Let's chat for a bit!"
"Sure," replied Ayame as she returned the smile.
Sitting down, Naruto waited for Ayame to do the same before he continued speaking.
"I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this whole ramen stall business," stated Naruto, exhaling contentedly as he saw Ayame nod her head.
"Mhm," hummed Ayame in response, "You're a fast learner, Naruto."
"That I am!" exclaimed Naruto as he pointed to himself, eliciting an amused chuckle from Ayame, much to his joy and pride.
"That you are," replied Ayame with a smile.
There was a moment of silence as they both took a short break to catch their breath after all that hard work.
"Ya know.. I'm actually starting to really like working here, " began Naruto slowly with a shrug, glancing down at the floor for a second before looking back up at Ayame, "It's pretty fun to do all this time with you. Working in the ramen stall, I mean.."
Ayame tilted her head, "Is something on your mind, Naruto?"
"Yeah, there is.." admitted Naruto, his cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink, much to Ayame's curiosity.
"Mind telling me?"
"I don't know, Ayame.. it's embarrassing," replied Naruto as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hmm.." hummed Ayame, her eyes narrowing a bit, "Is it a girl, Naruto?"
Naruto's cheeks flushed even more so at Ayame's question, "W-What? W-Why do you ask, Ayame?"
"Because I want to know, Naruto," answered Ayame as she leaned forward, closer to him, her voice soft like fine silk, its delicate tone sending a pleasant shiver up his spine.
"W-When did you get so forward, Ayame?" asked Naruto before swallowing quietly as Ayame leaned in a bit more.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, Ayame's mind was racing at a thousand miles a second as she tried her best not to blush or stutter. If this kind of approach worked in her romance novels, then they must work in real life, right?
Granted, it was the man doing this kind of thing in the book instead of the woman..
Ayame hoped that this worked.
"You know, I've been catching you look at me whenever you think I'm not paying attention," said Ayame in as smooth a voice as she could muster, ignoring Naruto's question.
"W-Wait, isn't it the opposite? I've been catching you sneaking looks at me, Ayame!" retorted Naruto, causing Ayame's bold facade to crack a bit as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.
"I-I believe you may be mistaken, Naruto. It's always you that looks my way," replied Ayame, her blush intensifying as she realized that she had stuttered.
"Sure, I may sometimes turn my head to look at you, but you do it too!" exclaimed Naruto as he folded his arms.
"Wait.. You look at me too..? But why?" asked Ayame, her hazel brown eyes widening in surprise.
"Well why wouldn't I?" answered Naruto, glancing away as he blushed, "You're really pretty and you always have a nice smile on your face whenever you are working."
Ayame raised both of her hands to hide the blush on her cheeks as she heard Naruto's little confession, "You think I-I'm pretty?"
Naruto nodded, "I do!"
"W-Well.." stammered Ayame as she struggled to maintain eye-contact with Naruto, "Well.. I think you're handsome, Naruto!"
She squeaked in embarrassment, her eyes widening in surprise at her own little confession.
"Y-You do?"
Ayame nodded her head, "Y-Yes, I do!"
For a few seconds, all they could do was simmer quietly in their own self-induced embarrassed states. After several awkward moments of silence, Naruto slowly removed the white bandana he had wrapped around his forehead before slowly looking up at Ayame.
"Y-Ya know, I was gonna ask you this after dinner rush.." began Naruto, his bottom lip quivering as he tried his best to get the words out, "I-I'd like to.. Ya know.."
"What do you mean, Naruto?" asked Ayame, the blush on her cheeks having faded a bit.
Naruto swallowed quietly, "Well, I was hoping that we could.. That we could maybe go for a walk around the district after work."
Ayame's lips parted and her eyes widened in surprise at Naruto's request for what she immediately knew was a date. It was ironic how he was able to ask her out first, because she had actually planned to do the same right before she had melted down from embarrassment.
It was weird. He was younger than her. Should she not be the one asking him out instead of the other way around?
But then again, he was the boy and usually boys were the ones who initiated things. At least that was what her cheesy romance novels told her.
"You mean a date?" asked Ayame, perhaps a bit too bluntly.
Naruto nodded, "Yes, a d-date.."
"You know, Naruto, I was planning on asking you on a date as well earlier," confessed Ayame, her lips curving upward into a small smile as she blushed.
"R-Really?" stammered Naruto, blinking a few times in surprise.
"Really," replied Ayame, her smile widening, "I've had a bit of a crush on you for a while now."
"I first noticed I felt this way when you were away on a misson," she added.
"Ah, I-I see," stuttered Naruto in response, frowning in frustration at his inability to string out sentence without stammering.
Ayame chuckled softly as she reached forward and poked at the corner of Naruto's lips with her fingers, "Don't worry, Naruto. I think it's a bit cute when you stutter like that."
"Hmph," huffed Naruto quietly, "But I don't want to be the cute one."
"Heh," snorted Ayame, her smile turning into a slight smirk as she moved her fingers to Naruto's cheeks where she then proceeded to pinch them, much to Naruto's embarrassment, "Isn't the younger one in the relationship supposed to be the cute one?"
Naruto shook his head and he pulled Ayame's hands away from his face, "You are much cuter than I am, Ayame."
"True," replied Ayame with a smile.
"So, umm. Are we like girlfriend and boyfriend now?" asked Naruto sheepishly, "I don't really know how this works."
"Sure, I think that's how it works," answered Ayame with a nod, "It becomes official after the first date, I think.. Or something like that."
Naruto quirked a brow, "Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"
"N-No," stammered Ayame in response, her cheeks flushing.
"Ah, I see. Well.. I've never had a girlfriend before either," replied Naruto as he gave Ayame a smile.
Ayame chuckled, "Looks like we're both new to this."
"Mhm, it does."
"Well then," began Ayame as she reached down and grabbed both of Naruto's hands, "I know you won't disappoint me since I already know you are a kind person, Naruto."
She gasped quietly as Naruto leaned forward, her cheeks immediately heating up as she saw the determined expression on his face.
"I promise to make you happy, Ayame!"
Ayame smiled.
"You already have."
A/N: Hello people! I hope you enjoyed chapter five! I've started to realize how short my chapters have been getting. Maybe it's because my writing skills have tanked. I don't know. Please follow, favourite and review! I love reading your feedback! Seriously. Give me that feedback.