"Why don't you leave the clip in your hair?"
I sigh "Because the color doesn't match the kimono and the small loops in the obi - that's why."
"And why are you tying your hair?"
"Think about it - a braid creates a much more staid impression than loose hair. Open hair is playful and wild and ... "
"Tenten?" Slowly the thread of patience breaks. His patience runs out of steam and my nerves run out. I collide - my God, the tension is eating me from the inside out - I'm burning - I'm burning! He seems to notice - oh Neji - he carefully takes mine in his hands, kneels in front of me and looks up at me from below. He looks me in the eye and holds my gaze with his. "That's just my uncle and my cousins ​​- besides, we just eat, they won't bother you with questions - I'll take care of that and the seven-course menu."
"Promise?" I sound like a seven-year-old, but I don't care at the moment. I am so nervous.
He's smiling in such a sweet and at the same time shy way that I have to sigh. “Promised” Then he can't help but say: “But if you keep going like this and distribute half of your wardrobe on the floor and break your hair from doing a lot of hairstyle, they'll ask and then you'll probably be up on your own. ”Neji - my Neji - smiles, but I hit him playfully.
He smiles and catches my lame attempt to hit him on the chest, pulls my hand closer and kisses every single finger away. Then our eyes meet.
"I love you," I breath.
He gives me a kiss. "I love you too, Ten"

The food was spectacular. Not only because I turned out to be a stick bomber, but also because we talked - we talked a lot. Not even the various delicacies - chicken in orange sauce, noodles in soy sauce and delicious quark balls and rice cakes with applesauce or icing - could not dampen our lively conversations. A lot was asked - including me - but that didn't matter to me.

Well, at first I couldn't have gotten a sound out of myself, but when I hit Neji's uncle with my slippery noodle in the middle of the shirt, my nervousness was over. I was scared as hell. It was quiet for a while - dead quiet - but then he laughed so deeply and loudly that we couldn't - we joined in.
"You picked a brave candidate for that, dear nephew" He was still smiling. "Pretty fickle, huh?"
I smiled back and this was the start of one of the nicest Christmas evenings I've ever had ...