The sound of my phone pinging woke me. After 30 minutes of hearing it go off, I begrudgingly sat up and tried to wipe the sleep from my eyes. What day was it? Fuck, I hope it's not Monday. I stretched out on the coach lazily before getting up and shuffling toward the kitchen table. My phone had several messages and missed calls. A few were from Ino. Can't the girl take a hint? I was avoiding her for a reason. It had been a couple weeks now since Rosie told me about Ino's boyfriend. We carpooled a few times, but I couldn't stomach looking at her. I made up an excuse that I wasn't feeling well and skipped a few days. Then I just made up some lie that I switched schedules. I figured some distance would help ease myself out of this infatuation. It didn't help one bit. I sighed before swiping her alerts away and looking at my other messages. Naruto texted me a few times. What does that ass want? I quickly selected our conversation.

Wyd?

Yooo the game is on tonight. Drinks pizza ur place?

Soooo yeah? I'll be there in 20min

Hellooooooooo .

This guy. I looked at the time and saw that he should be here in about ten minutes. Shit. I glanced around my living room. It was a wreck. Beer cans, fast food wrappers, and frozen food packages littered the table and some of the kitchen. Covers were piled on the couch; I had been sleeping in the living room the past week. I had been on a steady diet of junk food and beer since I stopped hanging out with Ino. I scratched the back of my head, trying to think where to start picking up the mess. This is probably extremely unhealthy. I'm drowning my sorrows away like I actually broke up with her. I haven't even kissed her. I sighed as I mentally berated myself. I was pretty certain these were the same clothes I had been wearing since Friday night. And it's Sunday, ya nasty ass. I shook my negative thoughts away as I grabbed a trash bag from under the sink and started quickly throwing trash inside. Right after I was finished taking the trash out and straightening up the living room, there was an excited knock at the door. I smirked and opened the door.

"I thought you were dead. Jeez!" He smiled his arms full with a 30-pack of beer

"Did you invite other people?" I asked eyeing the beer. I mean I have been drinking a lot recently but that just seems excessive.

"No…Did you want me to? Kinda assumed Ino might be here too" I could feel my heart jump at her name.

"Nope, just us." My curt reply made Naruto raise his eyebrow slightly. I avoided his gaze and promptly took the beers out of his hands and set them on the kitchen table. I started loading most of them into the fridge as Naruto plopped down at the kitchen table.

"What's up?" Naruto asked seemingly flippant as he swiped away at his phone. Although, I do call Naruto an ass and dumb sometimes, the kid is smart. He's probably one of the most considerate guys I ever met. He definitely knows something's up.

"Nothing, just been working a lot." This isn't a lie. I had voluntarily been taking extra hours at the shop since it seems like we've been having more customers. It's about to be summer so a lot of people are getting ready for vacations and such.

"Hmm" Naruto pretends to accept the answer as he steals a glance at me as I finish loading the beers into the fridge.

"Want me to order the pizza?" I ask as I grab my phone. "I'll just order del-"

"Are you wearing the same clothes from Friday?" I paused as I looked down. "I stopped by on Friday to borrow a drill bit set." He said anticipating my question.

"I washed them." I shrugged swiping through my phone to my pizza app. A recommended order popped up. Peperoni, salami, and jalapeños. That's Ino's favorite. "Did you have a pizza preference?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Umm, Peperoni and pineapple?"

"No, that's an abomination to pizza and I'm offended that you would suggest it." Naruto laughs and shakes his head.

"Fine, peperoni and mushroom better? Extra cheese?" I nodded ordering the pizza.

After about 30 minutes of joking and drinking, the pizza came. We were on our third beer and buzzing. It feels good hanging out. I've been shutting myself in.

"Alright! turn the game on!" Naruto playfully shoved me as I grabbed a slice of pizza out of the box as soon as I closed the door to the delivery man. I nodded passing him the pizza boxes. I walked over to the coffee table and grabbed the remote, flipping through some channels. As soon as I found the right channel I hear Naruto yell, "Catch!" I turned and dropped the remote, barely catching the beer in time.

"What the fuck?" I sat down on the couch as Naruto ran over with the pizza boxes to join me. I heard my phone ping on the coffee table as I grabbed another slice of pizza. I ignored it and took another bite of my pizza. At the corner of my eye, I could see Naruto eyeing me semi-discreetly. Ping. I could see Naruto glance at his phone. He started tapping, putting down his beer and slice of pizza.

"Sooo what's up?" Naruto asked while tapping away on his phone. I raised an eyebrow at him as I sipped my beer watching the game.

"Nothing…why?" I replied just as a player ran across the 1st down marker "Yes!" I did a little fist pump before turning my attention toward him. "Why do you keep asking?"

"Well, Ino seems to be worried about you?" Naruto shrugged as he peers over his phone at me, judging my reaction. I try to ignore the expectant look he gives me and focus on the TV again.

"Okay…"

"Yeah, so what's up?" Naruto insisted putting down his phone. I paused the game and set down my beer. I chewed the inside of my cheek debating on what to tell him. Fuck it. I need to let this off my chest and stop bottling this up. I gave a deep sigh and tried to decide where to start.

"Well…Ino and I went out with some of her friends. And…to be honest, it seemed like she was coming onto me…she even stared down some girl that gave me her number"

"This sounds promising though"

"Yeah, until the next morning…she slept over." Naruto raised an eyebrow "No, nothing happened. Anyway, I wake up earlier than Ino and her friend calls me to the kitchen…basically her friend has an intervention with me and tells me she has a boyfriend. Even her friend felt bad for me because I'm sure she felt like Ino was leading me on." I chuckled humorlessly as I smiled grimly at Naruto.

"Damn, she didn't tell anyone? I didn't know either, Sakura. That's fucked up."

"Yeah, her friend says she wasn't surprised since she seemed to like me a lot. I think things clicked in her head when she saw me and saw how obviously gay I was." I shrugged taking a long swig of beer.

"Shit, man. I'm sorry…Fuck, I should've talked to her more before introducing you guys. I thought she was sing-"

"It's not your fault, dude. Don't worry about it." I cut him off with a wave of my hand. It wasn't anybody but hers…and mine. I decided to crush on her and ignore and not ask questions.

"She's been texting me and trying to call. I just straight up ghosted her." I sighed as I picked up my phone and showed Naruto. He nodded sympathetically, scrolling through some of the texts.

"She's been texting me too. Asking if you're okay and if you've said anything. I've been busy working too, so didn't really get a chance to investigate until now."

"So this hanging out was some ulterior motive for you, huh?" I shake my head and drink my beer.

"Shut up, dude. Y'know I care."

"I know, I know. I'm just fucking with you." He shook his head and I pressed play on the remote.

"Here's to bros before hoes." He smiled and we touched beer cans.

"Let's get fucked up."

"Happy to" Naruto laughed and put his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. I gave him a small smile before we turned our attention to the game.

I huffed and set my torque wrench down on my work bench. This bike was sometimes more trouble than it was worth. I had bought it second-hand since it looked cool and vintage. Such a fucking hipster. Unluckily, I now know why that's maybe not the best idea. I shook my head and sat down folding my arms across my chest and studying the bike that was slowly coming together. I had been trying to occupy my time with chores I had been putting off since Ino arrived a few months ago. That woman. I don't understand how she can be so sweet and beautiful but so... I clenched my fists and released them a few times. The wound caused by the revelation that Ino was most likely stringing me along was still fresh; it had only been a few weeks prior. I've kept all contact with her minimal and concise. I'm not sure if Naruto ever got back to Ino on how I was doing. We hung out last weekend; I figured he did, since her calls and texts got less frequent. I grabbed my shop towel and tried to wipe most of the oily grime away from my hands. How can people do that though? Just pretend like they want to be with you and then just leave you high and dry? I could feel the anger bubbling inside. I wasn't just angry at Ino. All the repressed feelings from my childhood and young adult life came back full force. Feelings I hadn't wrestled with in years came back to haunt me for the last few weeks. Suddenly, I was angry at the world and the cards I had been dealt in life. I feel like a fucking loser. I quickly envisioned myself grabbing a tire iron, kicking over my bike and just beating the shit out of it and wreaking havoc in my garage. Fuck this bike, fuck Ino, and fuck my life. My hand tightened and twisted the rag in my hand. Breathe, Sakura. No need to fuck everything up for some stupid girl. I slowly inhaled and exhaled imagining myself putting all my anger and frustration into a small box. I put the box on the top shelf of a closet and shut the door. I learned this trick a while ago. When I used to be young, dumb, and angry. I chuckled throwing the towel on my bike. Tinkering is supposed to be my happy place; somewhere to escape, but lately my mind has been consumed by Ino. Always Ino. I sat on my swivel stool next to my bike. It was starting to look like a bike again. I smiled faintly as I went over a mental checklist of things I still had to do. I picked up my wrench again to continue when I heard all too familiar click of heels near my garage. Speak of the devil… Well, more like think... Ino rounded the corner. I slowly looked up at her; she had a black pencil skirt that hugged her thighs and hips in all the right places and a light blue button up blouse. I tried not to give her a once over, but as soon as my eyes saw her anxiously biting her lip, I grew concerned. Fuck that she lied to you. Maybe not outright, but definitely by omission. I sighed as Ino waved at me shyly.

"Hey" I gave her a tight smile. My mind was still waging a war about her. I didn't know whether to trust her or not. "Did you want to get some food and watch a couple movies?"

I sighed again. She's playing you. She just wants to spend time like you're her boyfriend. But you know she'll never give you the time of day…Or maybe she wants to talk? I put down the wrench I was holding. I looked down and scratched my head trying to make my mind up about what to say.

"I'm kinda busy tonight. I got some chor-"

"What did I do?" Ino asked her voice cracking slightly. I looked up instantly. She bit her lip and her eyebrows were scrunched up. I could tell her blue eyes were getting watery. Fucking hell.

"Nothing" I quickly replied, trying to mitigate the damage.

"Bullshit, Sakura!" Ino spat crossing her arms. I could see her sadness quickly turning into anger and impatience. "I've given you space and time, but what's wrong?" What's wrong? She has the fucking gall. That silly woman. She has the audacity to lead me on, then ask what's wrong? I could feel my muscles burn and flex as my jaw clenched.

"You really want to know what's fucking wrong?" I ask my voice quivering with anger.I could feel myself ready to blow a fuse. Ino walked into the garage slowly.

"Yes." She nodded with her arms crossed firmly across her chest.

"I'm gay! If you didn't fucking know. I- I'm fucking sick and tired of fucking straight girls. Like you! Thinking they can act however the fuck they want! I'm tired of getting fucking used, Ino. Fuck you and your boyfriend and leave me the hell alone." Ino seemed unsteady for a second. I bet she didn't expect me to know about her fucking boyfriend. What a tool. Before I could relish too long at telling Ino off, she quickly pointed her finger at me.

"You're such a hypocrite! How am I supposed to know how you feel? Am I some fucking mind reader? So what if you're gay!? I thought we were friends….Why didn't you tell me how you felt?" Ino gestured to me wildly and shook her head. "You just bottled all this up. Yes, I was stupid for not mentioning my boyfriend. But I guess I was also stupid in thinking that you were just genuinely nice and didn't want to get into my pants." I stood up quickly getting into Ino's face. Shit, I just wanted to… Ino met me full force with a shove. "Don't fucking come up on me like that. What the fuck are you going to do? Hit me?" Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed the back of her head and smashed our lips together. Ino was stiff for a second, but quickly reciprocated the kiss. Our lips moved together roughly, anger and passion slowly mixing. We broke apart breathless. I looked at Ino, her eyes were swirling with all kinds of emotions. Fuck it. I pushed our lips back together and her soft lips responded, moving with mine. She tangled her hands into my hair as I pushed her hips back into my work bench. She moaned as I pushed our bodies close together. After a few moments, I broke apart from her lips and slowly kissed down her neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses. She yanked my head roughly and brought our lips back together.

I couldn't believe I just grabbed Ino and kissed her. And she kissed me back! But she has a boyfriend... Does it matter? Obviously she isn't as attached as I thought. My mind swirled as I drew back from our passionate kiss. Her blue eyes sparkled with desire and mischief. This woman is going to be the death of me. Before I could get lost in more thoughts, she gently held my face in her hands. She caressed my cheeks and brow, undoubtedly seeing my face troubled.

"I'm sorry" she whispered giving my lips a soft kiss. I sighed; I could feel my resolve slipping. My anger slowly melting with each gentle touch. "You deserve better…I just don't know what I want... that scares me. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to hur-"

"Look" I furrowed my brow as I caught her hand in mine. "I don't want to know about Him. I don't care what His name is. I don't care how long you've been together. There are obviously things you need to figure out." I looked at her sternly she lowered her gaze and nodded. "I like you a lot Ino. I-" I sighed and softly grabbed her chin to look at me. I could see tears welling in her eyes. "Against my better judgement... I'll do whatever you want. But I'm not going to wait forever. You figure out what you gotta figure out. If you want us to be friends or lovers is up to you. I want you, Ino. And not just for sex. I...I can see us together" I could feel my throat constrict, making it hard to swallow and form syllables. She looked up at me her big blue eyes full of tears and uncertainty.

"I'm scared Sakura. I-I never thought I could feel this way. It's all new…I'm scared it's just a phase or just...I don't know. I'm always so sure...but with you. You changed everything I thought my future would look like." I nodded wrapping my arms around her and pushing our foreheads together. I just had to fall for her, didn't I? Yes, yes I did. But I can't just live without her in my life. I'd been spending weeks just agonizing over Ino. Torturing myself. Might as well give myself at least a shot. No matter how unlikely.

"Like I said figure it out. But this in-between won't last forever. I deserve happiness too." I stated firmly looking into her eyes. She looked so lost and unsure. It was odd to see her that way; so small and vulnerable. She is always so put confident and prepared. I bet this did put her cookie-cutter life in for a whirl. I don't know what to feel. I'm happy and disappointed. I have her but I don't really have her. But all I know is I'm not giving up without a fight. I'm gunna make sure I have a shot at keeping her. She sniffled and nuzzled her face into my neck.

"Thank you" I could feel her lips move against my neck softly and I let out a sigh of relief.

I know y'all have waited a long time for this. Hope you enjoyed it!