"Don't look." Ino complained.
"Alright."
Ino sighed in resignation. Luckily, her cotton skirt reached past her knees, so it wasn't easy to see anything inappropriate. She bit her lip, stood on tiptoe, and reached up with her pale arm to open the window.
Her slender, delicate fingers fumbled briefly in the air before they managed to grasp the knob on the window. She exerted a lot of force and, with a loud clatter, pulled the window open.
Wind mixed with raindrops rushed in, momentarily clearing Ino's mind. She looked down, ready to step off the stool.
Their eyes met perfectly. Naruto was staring at the girl in the cotton skirt. Seeing her hair messed up by the wind, his heart suddenly felt itchy.
Naruto wanted to reach out and brush her hair away. The urge was almost overwhelming.
"All done?" His voice came out strangely, tinged with a mix of indescribable emotions.
Ino felt her heartbeat quicken, and her body reacting in all sorts of odd ways. Her legs inexplicably felt weak. She glanced at Naruto, suddenly feeling parched.
'Something is wrong… Something is very wrong.'
Ino couldn't make sense of it. She had been alone with him before, even slept on the same bed, but she had only felt shy, and the two of them had always kept things completely innocent.
But now, she felt that not only was there something wrong with Naruto, but she seemed to be wrong too.
'Is it because we haven't seen each other for a long time?'
"Yeah." Her voice was very soft. She slowly squatted down on the high stool and prepared to get down, with one foot tentatively stepping on the shoe that looked like the ground.
Naruto suddenly grabbed her hand and steadied her by holding her waist.
"You…" Ino's heart raced, and she turned her head to look at him in surprise.
She was at a loss for words. When her foot finally touched the ground, it went weak for a moment before she steadied herself again. Her cheeks burned, and her breathing became rapid.
A tingling sensation ran from her spine up to the back of her head, spreading throughout her body.
"What's wrong?" Naruto naturally let go of her, his eyes clear as he looked at her, "I was just worried you might fall."
"N-Nothing." She put her shoes back on and returned to the counter, her face flushed.
She was mumbling something under her breath, her voice unclear. Naruto sat across from her, separated by the counter. On a rainy day like this, there weren't many customers, and those who came by usually just took shelter under the eaves.
People passing by would often glance into the shop, their eyes drifting over the flower racks before landing on the pair of teens by the counter.
The boy sat casually, his expression relaxed, almost slouched over the table. The girl seemed to be sulking, her face turned away, avoiding the boy's gaze.
The rain poured outside, the sound of it filling the shop. Naruto turned his palm over and spoke up, "Your waist feels really soft."
That statement was like lighting a fuse… Ino instantly shot up, leaning halfway over the counter to grab Naruto's arm in a twist.
"Say that kind of thing again, you pervert! You just love taking advantage of me, don't you?"
"I do." Naruto winced in pain, baring his teeth.
"Love what?"
"Love everything."
"I don't know what to do with you." Ino turned her eyes away and pulled her hand back. She didn't know where to look, but she finally felt a little better.
It wasn't because of that ambiguous 'love everything', but because she had managed to retaliate.
She wanted to say she liked him too, but she didn't want to let him take another inch, so she kept quiet. Yet, she couldn't quite let it go, so she asked, "Does it hurt?"
"It's okay." Naruto replied.
He vaguely understood that Ino wasn't really asking if it hurt when she pinched him, but rather offering some kind of comfort. It was like hugging a tree that couldn't hug back, and in return, a few leaves fell on your shoulder.
It is always difficult for gentle people to be truly happy. They always have to consider other people's feelings and constantly measured their actions. But everyone knew that thinking too much often leads to unhappiness.
Whether hurting others or getting hurt, they endure a silent suffering in their hearts.
Ino didn't know before that liking someone can be a two-way thing… It didn't have to be embarrassing or mean sacrificing her dignity by exposing her past to the person she liked.
When she lifted her hand to shield him from the sun, he'd hold an umbrella for her in the rain. He cared about her feelings, and his affection for her was obvious.
Even if she subconsciously wanted to take it all upon herself, he would surely drag her out of the darkness and bluntly ask, "Are you crazy?"
Naruto is just that kind of person… his soul always burned fiercely. Despite his sometimes gloomy demeanor, he always told others, 'Don't be afraid, there's light ahead.'
The rain continued to drizzle down, and silence settled back into the flower shop.
Ino shifted in her seat, lightly coughing to hide her unease. Even though the person across from her hadn't said anything particularly meaningful, she felt like every part of her that his gaze touched was burning up.
Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but want to ask him something, "You…"
Just as she was about to say this, she heard him say something first, "I'm a little thirsty. Don't customers even get a drink around here?"
"Since when are you considered a customer? You've got hands and feet, don't you? Go get it yourself!" Ino snapped back unhappily, swallowing the question she was about to ask.
'Forget it, I won't ask anymore.'
Even though she said that, Ino still got up and went upstairs to make him a cup of hot cocoa, which she then shoved in front of him with a look of mock revenge.
"Drink."
Naruto stared at the steaming cup of cocoa, feeling an overwhelming sweetness rise up that made his stomach instinctively reject the sugary drink.
"I don't want to drink this."
Ino shot him a glance, "Are you going to drink it or not?"
After thinking for a moment, Naruto pulled the cup closer and pinched his nose as he took a sip. Though it was supposed to be sweet, he drank it as if it were bitter medicine.
"It's sweet." Ino said while standing behind the counter.
"It's the same feeling when something is too sweet and bitter," Naruto replied.
"Troublesome." Ino muttered as she got up again and poured him a glass of water, "Drink this instead."
"Okay." Naruto nodded, pushing the hot cocoa back toward her. Ino paused briefly before taking it without a word, holding it in her hands.
With a ding, the door to the flower shop opened.
They both turned their heads to look toward the entrance. Rino was about to call Ino but froze for a second when she saw Naruto sitting there.
She was used to seeing her daughter sitting at the counter, reading or dozing off. Ino had been that way since she was a child, always so well-behaved, sitting there quietly.
In fact, Rino didn't even need to step inside to picture her daughter sitting there, whether wearing an apron or with her blonde hair pinned up to reveal her pale neck, always in that spot.
On rainy days like this, the shop's main light wasn't on, and the lighting felt a bit dim. Only the soft yellow side lamp next to the counter was on, casting a warm glow over the corner of the counter.
It was like a lighthouse in the middle of the sea, bright yet lonely.
Usually, at this time, Ino would be sitting there alone, looking up to call out, 'Mom'. She had been doing that from the time she was six or seven until her teenage years, and in the blink of an eye, her daughter had grown into a graceful young lady.
Rino stared at the line where the counter's light met the shadows, at the familiar young man in the white short-sleeved shirt, and suddenly found that she seemed to have grown old.
Ino, noticing her mother, seemed a bit embarrassed but still called out, "Mom, you're back?"
"Yeah." Rino stepped inside, setting down the bag she was carrying. For the first time, she felt restrained in the store she had run for more than ten years.
"Naruto's here?" She asked with a smile.
"Yes, Auntie." Naruto also stood up and said politely, "I'm just on break right now."
"Oh, I see. Well, I'll head upstairs first, I'm a bit tired." Though Rino wasn't actually tired, she just wanted to go upstairs to calm her thoughts.
Maybe it was the rainy weather making her sentimental, giving her a second wave of that parental melancholy. She truly felt like she was getting old.