Chapter 19

-Hinata's POV-

The tour continued without mishaps, quite unlike the first one. Each show went wonderfully, in fact. Issues only appeared beyond the curtains and cameras. It appears I'm the only one having struggles.

Gaara and Sakura becoming engaged snapped me out of a daze I didn't even know I was in. Now, it's impossible to ignore every instance of them or Sasuke and me having to alter our actions or words for the public.

My boyfriend jokingly flirting with fans or interviewers never bothered me, so why is it now irritating as hell? I knew the moment we agreed to date that those types of things would often occur and accepted it without hesitance because the Uchiha man's worth the suffering.

Currently, we're on the tour bus, driving back to Konoha for the final performance of the tour. Everything brought bittersweet memories of two years ago when I had health and family issues. This time, though, Prestige has its own bus, as does Akatsuki and Konan's band.

The four of us were drinking in a minor celebration of another successful performance and working casually on the song with which Gaara asked for help. Truthfully, the three of them were working, my notebook in front of the redhead alongside the others', while I pretended the alcohol affected me more than it was so I wouldn't have to mask my pouting.

Sipping my third glass of wine, I held a pillow in my lap and allowed my vision to glaze over as I thought about the beautiful Uchiha man across from me. His feet were outside mine as we sat with our knees bent, facing one another. Sakura was at his side, and Gaara sat facing all of us, using his portable keyboard to assist their efforts.

I'm not blind or completely self-aware. I know I'm being a massive baby about this. Sasuke and I have been dating for over three years, and I believe that if we weren't celebrities, he'd have proposed marriage long ago. There's also the matter of him asking me to be patient for a few more years. Sasuke doesn't want the same thing as me, and I'm trying to respect that. That's why I haven't brought up the issue since he made his stance clear.

It's my belief that I've successfully hidden my disappointment. Even now, they're almost certainly assuming I'm feeling emotional because of the wine. After finishing my third glass, I set it aside to wrap both arms around the fluffy pillow in my lap, closing my eyes and burying my face in it.

Okay, maybe I am drunk, but I'm not so far gone that I'd tell anyone why I'm truly sulking.

Throwing a full-on tantrum would be unbelievably selfish, and I refuse to do it. I just need a little time to get over it. I'm sure I'll feel normal about it all again in a week or two. …Right?

"Aw, are you sleepy, Hina?" Sakura's amused voice interrupted my inner monologue. Lifting my head, I saw her green eyes were warm, as was her tipsy grin.

A tightness met my chest when Sasuke tilted his head, pulling my attention from the pink-haired woman. His gaze was adoring, making my stomach flutter as it always does. The man smirked when I nodded with a red face, parting his bent knees further and gesturing with a few fingers, "C'mere."

Tears welled in my eyes as I fumbled over to sit with my back to his chest, his arms wrapping around my waist as he kissed the top of my head. "Cry baby," he snickered when I nodded rather than verbally respond.

The three of them returned to working on the song, leaving me to return to my inebriated brooding. I sighed and turned so my back faced Sakura and Gaara, and my cheek rested against Sasuke's chest. He didn't comment but casually interlaced his fingers on my hip, moving my shirt up enough to soothingly rub his thumb up and down, skin-to-skin.

With closed eyes, I allowed his warmth to comfort me.

It reminded me why I had to keep it together for Sasuke's sake. His career, his biggest dream, has the potential to be ruined by announcing our relationship. He'll be heartbroken if he can't make music anymore. I can't put my feelings before his happiness because if he's sad, so am I.

Sniffling softly, I buried my face in the pillow again, allowing just a few tears to fall before cutting off the waterworks. I can do this. I don't care how long it takes. So long as I get to stay by his side, in his arms like this, we'll be fine.

-Sasuke's POV-

"It's finished," Gaara smiled at the sheet music in his hands, the paper covered in dozens of little side notes aside from the actual lyrics and notes. "Should we wake Hina so she can hear it, too?"

We all looked at the Hyuuga woman in question.

Currently, she's asleep against my chest, with long black hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Earlier, Hinata had held that pillow tightly, but whether on purpose or unconsciously, she'd given up on that and grasped a loose handful of my shirt with her other hand resting lifelessly in her lap.

I shook my head, "Nah. She's out."

Sakura frowned, "I think she's worried about the final show." Gaara nodded, tidying up all the notebooks and pencils, "You're right. Let's let her rest."

Twenty minutes later, everyone was in their bunks and either asleep or trying to be. I frowned, laying on my back with glazed-over eyes.

While Hinata may be stressing out about the tour, I'm pretty sure she's upset for a different reason. Knowing her as well as I do has its benefits, but it also has its disadvantages.

For example, I find it easy to figure out if she needs something without her having to say it at this point. Ignorance might just be bliss this time, though. I'm stuck because I know she'd still be sad if I didn't know my request to take things slow was what weighed so heavily on her mind. The only difference would be the guilt I feel.

I have no clue what to do. Even I'm upset that we can't be together like an average couple. The longer we're together, the more it bothers me. Not blatantly turning away other women's advances right in front of her feels downright disrespectful, but I can't refuse everyone's flirting, or else people will get suspicious.

The same goes for Hinata. She understandably gets confessed to by fans, celebrities, and everything in between. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to say something to those assholes? It doesn't help that she's so damn nice. Sure, she turns them down, but she's so polite that they often fall even harder for her. I know so because it's how I'd react if I were in their shoes.

"Sasuke."

I turned onto my side to see Hinata gazing at me in the dark with a haze in her eyes that said she was still drunk.

She pouted cutely, making me want to kiss her, but her voice was sad, so I held back, "I love you more than anything, okay?"

Smiling, I nodded, allowing her to intertwine the fingers of one of our hands. The Hyuuga woman becoming slightly clingy and emotional when drunk is nothing new to me. I kind of like it, honestly. Usually, she's reserved in that regard, though by no means cold.

"And I love you. Go back to sleep, Hyuuga."

"Can I tell you something? I wanna say it really bad." Silver eyes gleamed up at me, even in the low light. I nodded, and she spoke quieter, "I want you to know I'll wait for you no matter how long it takes. Your career is important to you, and I respect that; let me stay with you like this until you're ready, please."

My brow furrowed, teeth gritting to prevent my initial response from verbalizing. I already knew she'd been stewing over that, but it was another thing entirely for her to tell me about it when she'd already decided to let it go.

"...Are you sure you're satisfied with that?" What the fuck did I just say? Why did I ask that?

Drunk and confused, Hinata appeared to ponder the question before averting her gaze to my shirt, "I want you to do what makes you the happiest. If that means I need to take the backseat for now, I won't be angry. I'll support you, Babe."

My chest warmed at the pet name because it was rare for either of us to use them, but my stomach churned at her other words. What does she mean by backseat? Does it really seem like she isn't a priority in my life? I thought I explained things well when we talked about this last time.

I've been going back and forth about this probably just as much as her, which doesn't make things any easier. I know that's not her intention, though. She's probably going to wake up in the morning, mortified she'd let it slip.

Hesitantly, I said, "I'm sorry, Hina."

She shook her head, snuggling into my chest with a warm hum, "Don't apologize. I mean it."

Returning her embrace, I stared into the dark, not really seeing anything.

This is precisely why I want to marry Hinata. For weeks, the woman has been disappointed because she can't have what she wants, but she didn't say a single word about it. Now, she's drunk and still puts me before herself. If there's a selfish bone in her body, it's tiny.

I wish I could talk to Mom right now. She'd either know what to do or what words to say to make it easier.

A small smile tugged at my lips, and I pressed them to my girlfriend's forehead, closing my eyes. My mother would've adored Hinata; I know that's true.

With that thought, a realization as sharp as electricity tensed my limbs.

That's right. Mom would've supported us wholeheartedly.

How could I have thought for a second that she'd want me to not put Hinata first? Just because she supported and encouraged my music dream, it doesn't mean I must devote every piece of myself to it. Even if I quit altogether and chose a different career, Mikoto Uchiha wouldn't have cared as long as I'm happy. Just like Hinata, she'd only care about my feelings and nothing else.

At that moment, I realized I'd been wrong to make the Hyuuga woman wait, to make myself wait. There is no music without Hinata, and there's no happiness without the both of them. I need her; it's as simple as that.

Now, do I take it back and ask her to marry me? Should we just dive into the deep end and go public? I don't know. All I do know is that I can't live without her anymore.