#ssm20d5

He was supposed to come back home from his five-day business trip in Hokkaido today. Sakura had planned a special evening for them, spending extra time to cook Sasuke’s favorite meal to welcome him from his long trip. She even cleaned the whole house. She knew how much of a neat freak Sasuke was.

7:30PM.

His flight was supposed to land at 6:30 and given the distance from the airport to their home, it would take him about an hour to arrive home.

She had timed everything perfectly. She just finished cooking a few minutes before half past seven, and by the time Sasuke arrived, they could both enjoy their meals right away. She put on a soft instrumental in the background, to liven up the mood. She couldn’t contain her excitement to see him again. Three days without seeing him had been hard enough. This time she had to wait for a whole week!

8:00PM.

Still no sign of Sasuke. She checked her phone to see if he had left any messages. Zero. She figured maybe traffic was especially bad. She didn’t want to be pestering him every second, so she decided to wait.

11:00PM.

Waiting seemed to be the only thing she could do. She’d practically finished half a bottle of wine by herself. The food had grown cold, along with her mood. Half of her was worried that he’d got into some trouble or accident that prevented him from coming home, but half of her was beginning to think that he had forgotten to come home, which would seem impossible. Right? She decided the only way to get answers was to ask the man himself.

Sasuke-kun. Where are you?

A few minutes later, he responded.

On my way to the hotel.

“The hotel? Don’t tell me he’s still in Hokkaido.” Her latter guess was in fact proven correct.

But I thought you were supposed to come home today? Remember? Today’s our anniversary.

“Shit.” As he read her text in the taxi, Sasuke inwardly cursed himself. How could he forget such an important day? He must had booked the plane ticket on a different date. In his mind, their anniversary fell on a Sunday. He was wrong, of course. It fell on a Saturday. He ran a hand along his exhausted face. How am I gonna make this up to her?

He was going to need a lot more than just an apology. But for now, it was the only thing he could produce. He wasn’t trying to make excuses, but somehow the truth itself felt like one.

I’m so sorry. I booked the ticket on the wrong date. I’m sorry, Sakura.

Sakura felt crushed. She felt like every ounce of energy left were being sucked right out of her. She couldn’t even write a response. She didn’t bother to clean up the table and headed straight for the shower.

Of course. Work would always come first. She thought to herself. She let the hot water drench her, trickling from her head to her toes. She tried to focus on the scalding heat instead of the scorching pain in her chest. She couldn’t tell whether her lack of disappointed outburst was due to the wine or to her solidifying heart. She loved Sasuke with all of her heart, which made it especially hard for her to be left alone to wait for him like this.

She stepped out after a shower and fell asleep. Alone.

.

.

His flight was scheduled for Sunday at 8:00AM. Sleep hadn’t come to him at all. Thinking about how much he had hurt Sakura seemed to have kept his mind alive. He knew he didn’t deserve her. He deserved to be punished, and he was not going to make himself any less guilty. He just hoped Sakura was going to forgive him.

Countless hours in the office, leaving his wife alone at home the whole day would definitely affect their relationship. All this time he thought he’d be able to make her happy if he worked harder. Being one of the providers for the family, he thought their life would be so much better if he’d earn more. After all, Sakura also had her shifts at the hospital, and he knew how much she valued her own career.

He realized, however, that he’d been wrong this whole time. The only thing she needed was him. How could he had forgotten? The first thing she said to him when they got married.

“I don’t need anything luxurious. I’m happy whenever I’m with you. Even if it means living in a dump.”

It felt like the longest plane ride he had ever taken.

Arriving at their home, Sasuke took off his shoes and neatly set it on the shoe rack. Hearing the water running and plates clinking, he assumed Sakura was washing the dishes. He took a deep breath and went to greet her in the kitchen.

With a sunken voice, he managed to say, “I’m home”, earning a mere glance from Sakura. The only expression painted on her face was that of disappointment and defeat; expressions that never looked good on her, or on anyone in fact.

“Well you look like shit,” was the first thing Sakura said, and he couldn’t help but agree with her. He looked and felt like shit.

“Sakura.”

“It’s fine Sasuke-kun. I’ll just try to get used to letting work come between us.” His heart ached at her comment. He bitterly admitted there was truth behind them. He had been letting work come between them for too long. However, he wasn’t going to let that happen any further. Something had to change, and Sasuke was ready to do anything for her.

“I’m sorry.” He was hesitant to approach her. She turned off the water and rested her hands on the edge of the sink.

“Look. I don’t have the energy to deal with you right now. I’m just tired. Can you give me time?” He was expecting her to fully lash out on him. However, this felt even worse. It felt more serious, more severe. He’d have to really earn his forgiveness.

He decided to step back and give her space. She continued her task while he settled to unpack his luggage and shower.

All freshened up but still not managing to wash off the guilt, he went into the kitchen only to find that it was empty. Sakura was nowhere to be found. She must had stepped outside. He saw a meal had been laid out on the dining table, with a set of chopsticks and a note on the side.

Lunch. Dinner’s in the fridge.

He heaved a long sigh. Even when she was mad at him, she still cared for him enough to make sure he didn’t skip his meals. His heart ached more. The only thing he could do at that moment was give Sakura space and wait for her to return.

.

.

Sakura didn’t return until 11PM. He waited for her in their bedroom, reading over some reports. When he heard the door open, he peeked through the bedroom. Her expression hadn’t changed. She wasn’t sparing a glance towards him. She went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before heading to the bedroom and preparing to hit the hay.  

He quickly set aside his reading materials and turned off the lights.

She sat on her side of the bed and lied down, only displaying her back towards him. Little did he know, she had only been outside at a nearby park, trying to collect her thoughts and calm herself. Still trying to act strong, she had to put up this armor showing that she wasn’t going to let her anger control her. She knew she couldn’t look at Sasuke in the eye or her emotions would explode in an instant.

“Goodnight, Sakura.”

“Goodnight.” her voice faint as ever.

.

.

Monday wasn’t supposed to be a day off for him, but he made it one anyway. He was determined to set things right, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

His biological clock had always been punctual. Getting to work early meant having to wake up early. He woke up half an hour earlier than usual and quietly headed to the kitchen.

Gathering ingredients from the fridge and pantry, he was making Sakura’s favorite dishes for breakfast. He thanked God he could find all the ingredients at home, making sure he didn’t leave anything out. Trying to be as silent as possible, he started his task.

.

A delicious scent started poking at her senses, awaking her. Sakura opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Sunlight was pouring in from the blinds. She reached to her side to see that Sasuke wasn’t there. She heaved a sigh before detecting that sweet aroma again. She slowly sat up, gathering herself before heading out to the kitchen.

“Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?” She tried to take in the sight before her. A few plates were laid out on the kitchen table. She eyed them one by one, recognizing that they’re all her favorite dishes. Surprise overcame her as her mind hadn’t been fully there yet.

Sasuke was finishing up the last egg roll and setting them on a plate.

“Have a seat.” She obliged and took a seat before he joined her. She joined her hands on the table, her thumb fiddling with each other.

“I’m sorry I forgot. I know I’ve been away too much and spending less time with you. And you have every right to be mad at me.” He paused. He noticed she was still avoiding his eyes. However, he recognized the look on her face. It was the look of someone who was just trying to act tough and undisturbed, hiding the real Sakura underneath who was ready to break.

He reached out to place his hands on top of hers, watching her flinch a little at the sudden contact.

“But I want to change that. I’ll no longer be working during weekends, and I won’t take business trips too often. I’ll try my best to come home on time.” He paused.

“I’m sorry, Sakura.” He let silence fill in between them.

She knew she could never stay mad at him forever. Her love for him would always be greater and dissipate her anger quicker than she probably would have hoped.

He watched as her armor finally broke and tears were spilling from her eyes. Her lips quivered as she began to speak.

“Idiot. You’re lucky I still love you.” Sasuke couldn’t help the feeling of guilt from being lifted off his shoulders. He gently squeezed her hands.

“I love you too.” Her eyes finally met his before she leaned over and put her lips on his. He leaned into the kiss, touching her wet cheek. They pulled away and brought their foreheads together, finally reconnecting with each other.

“I missed you.”