Bittersweet
Summary: When two people fall in love, there are supposed to be happy endings, right? What if one of you is Chinese and under pressure to marry someone of the same background and social class, and the other isn't free? Is a little love worth the pain that follows
Author's notes: 1) I do not own the CCS characters nor the song "Invisible War" by Julia Fordham
2) Co-authored with the awesome CheeseyCraziness, who provided the basic plot outline. The parts set in italics at the beginning of each section are hers. Please check out my profile for the link to her oneshot version of this story.
Chapter One: Invisible War
Invisible war, seems we're waging an invisible war
He called me over, a sharp tone in his voice. I winced. Now what was it?
Wistfully I remembered a time when I would have loved to be called by that voice; I recalled days when the sight of him would simply make me melt with joy I remember when the three syllables of my name rolled off his tongue like a lover's touch: Sa-Ku-Ra.
Now, it only brought me pain to see him. When had things gone so wrong?
Strained maneuvers, keeping silent score
He would regret the pain in her eyes but he knew this was the only way. Cut it now, Li. End it before you hurt her even more.
Syaoran knew what he was doing was unforgivable. He knew he'd led Sakura on—even he had to admit it—he'd been so close to telling her the truth about what he felt for her so many times.
Why was it so hard? Three short words: "I love you."
And yet they held the power to destroy everything in his world.
He knew she at least felt something for him…but exactly what, Syaoran would never know. And that was the price he was paying to protect her now. He would never know that Sakura loved him as deeply and desperately as he did her.
As he waited for the woman he loved…and whom he was now pushing away—to arrive at his office, Syaoran looked out the bay windows of his large office and thought of her.
He would never remember exactly when it was that he began to fall for Sakura. Was it on the first day he met her, when he interviewed her prior to hiring her for the English editorship at the Japan Bulletin, which his family, the Lis, owned?
He had walked into the restaurant where she and her boyfriend Yasu were waiting for him, and he remembered that she was pretty. Syaoran had just broken up with his own fiancee, Shaiya, when his mother objected to their marriage. Shaiya was Chinese, but had been born in the year of the Dragon. Supposedly, Dragons like her would dominate Pigs like him.
When I found out Sakura had been born in the year of the Ox, my heart leapt. We were compatible.
Sakura was pleasant and sweet, and Syaoran remembered her boyfriend Yasu more: the man seemed pleasant but somehow, he unsettled Syaoran. How he had landed someone as pretty and cheerful as Sakura was a mystery to Syaoran.
He would soon learn that while she had once truly been a cheerful soul, the 'slings and arrows' of fate had taken their toll on her, and now, her cheerfulness was a facade. Only Syaoran got to see that side of her—she kept the darkness well hidden—but at the same time, he got to see the rare times when Sakura was truly happy and cheerful.
And now I am making her unhappy, he thought miserably.
He would have reason to worry about Yasu many times in the future, especially after he discovered that Yasu was cheating on Sakura.
Can he love her and protect her the way I can? Syaoran knew Yasu had recently proposed to Sakura, thanks to what she confided in his cousin Xialin Li. She knew about Syaoran's feelings for Sakura, and since Sakura considered her a confidant, Sakura told her about what was going on in her relationship with Yasu. He found himself hoping she would say no...but then...
Who am I kidding? I've left her alone more times than I care to count because I wanted to be so careful about not letting people catch us together.
And yet…because I was weak…people did notice us together. I betrayed her by falling in love with her, and letting people see how much she meant to me.
Was it that first time he spent time with Sakura during the first JB Christmas party she attended with him? Certainly she'd attended briefly once with Yasu before she began working full time, but during her first party, Syaoran had broken tradition by going over and eating next to Sakura in the gymnasium where the party was held. It drew attention because the Lis did not mingle with employees, after all.
She'd been quiet and somewhat preoccupied that night; he'd had to fix a plate for her to eat. "You'll like it," he said as he escorted her to the buffet line. "Big Bowl of China. Their dumplings rock." She smiled as he piled her plate. People watched as he escorted her back to the table, and gaped when he sat down beside her. Syaoran remembered watching Sakura's lips as she talked, remembered delighting in the sound of her voice.
No matter how long he lived, he would never forget her voice.
Later, he'd caught a glimpse of her hugging Xialin in the quiet private passageway behind the gym. Sakura seemed upset afterwards, and Syaoran could have sworn he'd seen tears in her eyes, but he didn't dare ask either Sakura or Xialin what had happened.
Much later he found out what it was: Yasu had refused to go to the party with her, then picked a fight right before the party.
Later, to his surprise, during a routine meeting in his office, Sakura had suddenly spoken and told him about it, confessing that she was wondering whether she'd be happier without Yasu. He'd cheated on her once, at least once that she already knew of, and she suspected he would continue to do so.
And I had to play the noble hero.
Syaoran had listened to her, comforted her with his words. His huge desk was between them, and he could see Sakura needed some physical comfort—a hug, even a just touch—but he could not give it to her in fear that someone might see and misinterpret it. So instead he offered her the story of his own broken engagement, and told her that he'd broken it off himself because he didn't want Shaiya to suffer from his family's hostility.
Sakura had listened, and then she told Syaoran she was afraid of being lonely or alone. Syaoran then said, "Are you willing to live your life with someone who doesn't love you because you're afraid of being alone?"
He waited with bated breath for her answer.
And when she didn't respond, his heart ached. So that was her greatest fear.
I can't be with you. My family won't like you because you're not Chinese, he thought. I'll just hurt you.
And yet his treacherous heart betrayed him when he woke up one day that Christmas season to discover that he was deeply in love with Sakura. Syaoran had never even noticed; it just crept up on him and hit him hard.
I want to be the one you come home to. I want to be the one to wake up next to you in the morning. I want you, he thought.
He knew he would never have her, though. This wasn't a fairy tale, or a romantic story. They were trapped in real life…and he knew one thing: real life always had prices and consequences.
Which was why he had to hurt her now. That way I can't hurt you anymore, Syaoran thought. That way, you can hate me...and maybe you and I can learn to forget each other.
Every day I seem to lose you more...
"Meiling-chan," I said, looking at my secretary and friend with a teasing smile. "Whatever he wants, you're taking the heat too."
She sighed and nodded, clicking away a few more times on the computer before she grabbed her files, ready to follow me. She seemed annoyed about something. No doubt I interrupted her chat with that friend of hers, Tomoyo, I thought, amused. Meiling was notorious for it.
Meiling followed me into his office. There he sat at his desk, his eyes looking at me in a way I had recently become used to – emotionlessly. My heart wrenched. Once, he had never showed me that expression – only light humor, happiness, honesty, or caring softness. But now, I never saw anything but a reflection of the void in my soul.
It wasn't always that way.
Sakura remembered when Syaoran followed her to Hong Kong, two years ago, when she first started working full time for the JB. It was her first trip abroad. She's always been afraid of airplanes, and fought desperately against being sent to Hong Kong. Syaoran smiled at her when he called her into his office to tell her the news: she was going to be sent to the Asian International Editors' Conference.
Horrified, Sakura made excuses: who's going to close my section? I'm shorthanded. I can't go.
"We can get someone to cover for you. Honestly, Kinomoto-san, it's okay for you to go," Syaoran smiled.
"I can't..."
"Is something wrong?" He leaned forward. He's always been able to see right through me, Sakura thought, and he knows I'm upset about something.
And, ashamed, she admitted the truth. "I'm scared the plane might crash. I...I'm scared of traveling alone."
He didn't laugh, though they were the only ones in his office . Instead, a gentle look came into his eyes. "It will be okay. Trust me," he said.
Sakura so wanted him to reach out, to touch her…and he did. Across Syaoran's large desk, he touched the back of her hand softly, for a very brief moment; their eyes met.
That was when I first realized how beautiful his amber eyes were, how I could drown in them in seconds, and have it feel like eternity.
Then he cleared his throat. "So. Who else should we send there?" He smiled. "So you won't be alone."
He's sending others abroad so I won't have to be alone.
"No...Li-san, please...you don't have to," Sakura blushed furiously.
"I don't want you to be alone if you're unhappy being alone," he said softly, not meeting her eyes.
The silence that stretched between them was sweet and gentle, like a lover's kiss. When he finally raised his eyes to meet Sakura's bottle-green ones, there was a connection.
One of Syaoran's bank of phones suddenly rang, shattering the moment, which passed.
But it was one of the sweetest moments of my life. Looking back it sounds pathetic…but I still remember every detail: his eyes, his scent like clean liniment, and his nearness.
The flight was smooth and uneventful; Sakura was sent to the conference with Naoko, Chiharu, and Mei Ling. She and Naoko shared one hotel room, and Chiharu and Mei Ling were next door. Sakura was relieved; it felt as though the flight was okay precisely because Syaoran had said it would be.
Two days after they arrived, Naoko, who was senior to Sakura, suddenly insisted they go out for dinner to the Central district. Sakura was tired; they'd had a long day with lots of on-the-spot writing and workshopping. So Sakura told her she didn't want to inconvenience them and would just rest in their room.
Naoko raised an eyebrow then kept typing messages on her cell phone; Sakura assumed it was to her boyfriend Haru. Then she went out to the hotel corridor to talk to whoever it was. All Sakura heard was snatches, including "She won't go! Can I tell her you're coming?"
Sakura shrugged and went to her side of the room, changing into her favorite pink nightie. It was only 6 pm but she wanted to rest, so she lay down on the nice, soft bed—which she knew she wouldn't have to make herself. The thought pleased her; work was hard but fun, but working on household chores were quite a trial.
Naoko, reentering the room, shrieked. "No, Sakura-chan! You can't go to bed yet! We have to go out to dinner!"
"Naoko, really, I'm fine. I can just get takeout from you guys or skip the meal," Sakura smiled wearily. Naoko stood there, fidgeting with her glasses, then blurted out, "Syaoran-san is here, and he wants to have dinner with us."
She bolted upwards, choking back a childish "Hoee!" on her lips. What was he doing in Hong Kong?
Naoko read her expression, and said, "He's attending to some business for his family here. He…" and she twisted a lock of hair, "he wanted to surprise y…I mean, us."
Sakura's heart melted at the thought. He'd flown all the way from Japan just to be with me?
Don't be silly! She pushed the thought away. After all, the Lis were based in Hong Kong. I had nothing to do with his decision. Instead, she quickly changed and all four young women headed for a Chinese restaurant in Central.
Sakura noticed when they arrived that everyone—Syaoran's entourage, including his best friend Eriol and assistant Yamazaki, and the three women with her—pointedly avoided a seat next to Syaoran, and shrugging, she sat there. He smiled playfully, and asked, "Liked your flight?"
"Sure!" Sakura grinned at him. "It wasn't so bad. Maybe it was because you said it would be okay. Thanks...for not laughing at me."
"I'm glad," he said softly.
His beautiful brown eyes are all I can see…In the cold February wind, his cheeks had gone pink from wind burn outside, and his lips were dry. Sakura wanted to touch his lips when she remembered…I already have a boyfriend.
Who had not bothered to call or text her ever since she arrived in Hong Kong, not even to find out if she had arrived safely on her first international trip. Even though he knew how scared she was of the flight.
Yasu. He had never told Sakura he loved her, but he was there and he was okay as boyfriends went. Sometimes Sakura wondered if she stayed with him because she was afraid to be alone. I have never been good at being alone, and any company is better than nothing, she thought.
Syaoran offered to order for Sakura, who happily agreed. He smiled, liking the way she was enthusiastic about everything, and chose the restaurant's best dishes (causing Eriol to raise an eyebrow as he knew how much they cost). He was gratified when she loved it: spicy noodles, steamed fish fillets, Wagyu beef. When she couldn't finish what he'd piled on her plate, he teased her, saying, "I like girls who can eat."
"Mou, Syaoran, I love to eat! It's just…there's too much food!" Sakura protested, holding her stomach for emphasis. Syaoran laughed, and began to ask her about why she liked cats, what she did in college, and so on.
Sakura would later write in her journal: It was only much later that I realized no one else was talking to us. We were in our own little world; he was asking me about my college days, I was teasing him about his love for bowling and soccer. Had I known that it was our first date, so to speak, I would have treasured every moment more.
Both wishing it was like before...
"Kinomoto, this is unacceptable," he said evenly. I blinked at him, surprised. Now I was Kinomoto? When had he stopped using my name?
Syaoran remembered the first time he had called Sakura by her name. The JB held a charity Christmas party every year, and those parties sometimes got wild when beneficiaries decided to stampede the giveaway section. They always prepared giveaway bags of canned goods and gift certificates. This year was no exception; it was a chore he had come to dread, and only the children attending could bring a smile to Syaoran's face.
Which was why he was surprised to see Sakura helping out at the giveaway line; he hadn't expected her to be there as she'd only been working for the JB full time for the past two weeks. But there she was, smiling at the children, squeezing her eyes shut in delight, and looking absolutely beautiful.
He was in the back room, handing out goody bags to whoever was standing by the tables. Yamazaki slyly moved Sakura to a table near Syaoran, who was startled to find her green eyes smiling into his the next time he handed a bunch of bags to the person waiting there.
Syaoran found himself wishing he didn't have hands of ice, because when she took the bags from him, Sakura was startled; her eyes widened, and she looked at him.
"Your hands are cold, Li-san," she said, somewhat amazed.
Syaoran managed to return a weak grin at her, and to say, "They're always like that."
"Oh," was all she said, then they stood there, smiling at each other. Without intending to, they were color-coordinated; she was in a red and white shirt and blue jeans, he was in a blue and white shirt, and jeans. It was something that would happen often in the years they spent together.
Sakura smiled then turned back to the line in front of her. Yamazaki noted with amusement how Syaoran began to hand goody bags only to Sakura, and would move his hand in such a way that she would have to touch his. Then they would smile at each other, and repeat the cycle.
Soon, all the goody bags had been handed out. Left without anything to do, Syaoran didn't realize he was staring at Sakura; he wanted to touch her hair, to smell her scent of flowers. Then the crowd began to press forward.
Tables began being moved backwards, and lines were broken when the beneficiaries began to demand more than one goody bag. Sakura, at the frontline, began to be pushed backwards. Naoko was slammed to the wall, and Yamazaki had to yell at the crowd to calm down. No effect.
Sakura cried out when she lost her balance; the crowd was pushing her table backwards and she was about to be crushed. The expression on her face was of pure fear, and Syaoran found himself frantic with worry. She's not used to this!
Sakura! He thought of her first. Yamazaki heard him curse, then say, "She's going to get hurt!" Syaoran threw himself between her and the table that was teetering on the brink of collapsing on her, grabbed her by her slender waist, and yanked her into the back room of the office gym.
The force of his movement threw them both to the floor, and Syaoran managed to twist his body so that he would not land on her and hurt her. Vaguely he noticed how soft her skin was, how good she smelled. How beautiful her eyes, her cheeks, and her lips were…and how close his lips were to hers in their awkward position.
"Sakura," he said softly.
She blushed. "Li-san," she responded.
"Just...Syaoran," he whispered back.
Yamazaki burst their bubble by coming into the room. "Syaoran-san, we've got the crowd under control." He grinned when he saw the position they were in, and Syaoran quickly stood up, taking Sakura with him as he did.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
"I am, thanks to you," she smiled gratefully.
Syaoran had no idea that he wasn't the only one with butterflies rioting in his stomach and throat at that moment.
Had he been able to hear Sakura's thoughts, he would have heard this: He called me by my name.
And how beautifully her name rolled off his tongue.
Talk about a fine line between love and hate...
Was he really going to scold me? In front of not only my own secretary, but his three secretaries? I bit my lip, knowing better than to interrupt.
"This section was supposed to go in Lifestyle. Yes, I know it's a new section, but still."
I looked at the newspaper he held in his hands, and my confusion grew.
This… He had already approved this page the day before, not once, but twice! And now he was telling me that it was wrong? What was going on?
Because Sakura's duties involved copyediting and closing the leisure section—one of the biggest and most profitable of the Japan Bulletin—she and Syaoran found themselves spending time together, as Syaoran had been responsible for the revamp of the section. He slowly taught her the rules: how to cut press releases short, what to accept, what articles to classify under where, and so on.
He also began to oversee and adjust page layouts personally in the large AVR-slash-office he'd set up near his own. And that meant having Sakura by his side so that she could check on spelling, headlines, and so on.
We work together well, he thought; she learned quickly, and could anticipate what he wanted on a page. Once, he even surprised himself by taking the mouse as it was in her hand, and pretending to guide her as she adjusted font leading and size.
His hands are so cold, Sakura thought, but a shiver ran through her. She had since accepted that Syaoran's presence would always make her jump; sometimes, he would just appear behind her abruptly; other times he would push the doors open loudly so she would look up, and he would give her a big, boyish grin that would squeeze his eyes shut...and each time she would blush and look away because what he did made her fall for him even more.
Both had almost forgotten about her boyfriend. And it was all for the better, Sakura thought bitterly; Yasu tended to pick fights over things as small as her not being able to run to the bank and pay his credit card bills, or her occasional tardiness in picking him up to deliver him to his office, which was near hers, in the morning. He would make up for it later on by treating her to dinner or being extra nice, but still...if she had been honest with herself, she would have realized that the relationship was emotionally abusive in some ways.
But she was too afraid to let go, to be alone. She didn't dare hope that Syaoran would act on whatever it was between them. Plus she was somewhat ashamed of letting Yasu treat her that way.
He is a good friend, she thought. To his credit Yasu had been there when she had lost her family, and he had, in his odd way, taken care of her. But it was so strange that in such a short time, Syaoran had made so many more romantic gestures that thrilled Sakura than Yasu had in the course of their long, complicated relationship. He'll be there when I call, Sakura convinced herself—forgetting of the many times he had abandoned her after fights, of when he had pushed her when she needed help. The mind is an amazing thing; it shows people what they need to see when they can no longer cope, and Sakura's was an exceptionally fine one.
Syaoran already knew about Yasu; she didn't have to say anything because he could see the traces of her having cried in the mornings when Yasu picked fights (and Syaoran quickly noticed how often Yasu picked fights with Sakura in the mornings, and would refuse to take her calls or answer her text messages, rendering her upset the entire day and forcing her to pretend to be extra cheerful). And each time she would lie and pretend she was having a cold or not feeling well.
She had no idea what it took out of Syaoran to pretend not to know what was going on.
The secret Syaoran kept was that he had seen Yasu out one night with another woman. Syaoran had left the office with Yamazaki and Eriol—who slyly suggested that they invite Sakura to join them for dinner. Syaoran would thank his lucky stars that he hadn't invited Sakura, because he spotted Yasu at the Emperor's Palace, a large, swanky restaurant in downtown Tokyo. Yasu had a voluptuous woman on his arm, with big brown eyes and long, curly hair. The woman was openly seductive; Yamazaki was openly staring.
Eriol caught Syaoran's expression and said in a warning tone, "If you tell Sakura, you will make a huge mistake."
"And why?" Syaoran's amber eyes glared into Eriol's midnight blue ones.
"Because she creates an illusion of happiness with that man. Remove that prop, and you shatter her world," Eriol said quietly.
"You want me to stand by and do nothing as this man cheats on her?" Syaoran said in a heated whisper; he didn't want Yamazaki to hear. If I tell Sakura, she will break up with him and she will be free, Syaoran thought wildly, recklessly.
Eriol calmly looked into Syaoran's eyes. "Can you give Sakura what she needs?" A pause, then Eriol said, "You can't, Syaoran. And you know why. Don't fool yourself."
"What makes you think I have a thing for her?" Syaoran said defensively.
"I don't think. I know," Eriol replied. "All I have to do is see how you look at her. You're in love, Syaoran...but with the wrong woman."
Unable to think of a reply, Syaoran turned on his heel and walked off. Eriol watched him sadly, then adjusted his eyeglasses. Syaoran had to realize what a mistake it would be to fall for Sakura...and soon. While he liked the girl well enough—who could resist her perky attitude, her positivity, her cheerfulness—Eriol also knew well enough to be able to predict that Yelan Li and the rest of the Li clan would never accept someone who was not Chinese.
And that was the least of the barriers to the love that was beginning to grow between Syaoran and Sakura. Eriol sighed. There would be no happy ending; only tears and sorrow, and he did not know how to spare the two the worst of the consequences.
Perhaps they should be allowed to love, even for a while? he wondered. Then he answered his own question: No.
Because even a small taste of love would be bittersweet for two people who could not be together.
And so Eriol watched as Syaoran and Sakura spent their mornings together. For both of them, it was a quiet time they cherished; even when they did not speak, the nearness of the other was enough. Sakura began to be more cheerful, and Syaoran was beginning to relax. Additionally, she was looking happier; once, Eriol caught her giving Syaoran a starry-eyed look, and even he had to admit she was becoming more beautiful.
Syaoran was beginning to come to the office early, at 730 in the morning, so that he could have more alone time with Sakura. The other employees melted out of the office when Syaoran came in to be with Sakura; the times she was late, he found himself getting anxious, and once, he was unable to stop himself from sending her a text message asking where she was.
Eriol soon realized that the two had found a way to express affection: by saying good morning to each other. The way Sakura said "Good morning!" to Syaoran—or, when she was feeling playful, "Hey!" it sounded like, "I love you," and he saw how Syaoran would perk up, no matter how bad his morning was, and respond with a soft smile and a "Good morning, Sakura," or an affectionate, "Hey," back at her.
Sakura always thought of the word "gentle" with Syaoran. She knew he could be aloof—she'd attended a few meetings outside the JB with him and seen how he dealt with others—but with her, he always made time to be kind, to listen to her, and to see her in his office. And it always thrilled her when they worked on the page layouts. She loved it when they sat together, and she would secretly try to breathe his scent of clean liniment in. When they accidentally touched, she would lose her breath—never noticing how Syaoran stiffened and tried to preserve the contact as long as he could. She loved watching Syaoran work, and knowing he knew she was watching him was a comfortable yet tense thing. Imagine, who am I and yet he goes out of his way to spend time with me? I really wish I knew what he feels, she thought to herself.
Syaoran knew he had gone out of his way for the past few days to have his "alone time" with Sakura. Though he was desperately busy preparing for the JB anniversary, he would stay late to be with Sakura and close the pages together. He also made it a point never to "command" her to do anything; he always phrased anything of the sort as a request so as not to be rude. He never knew how she was touched by his effort; when Yasu dumped his chores on Sakura, he was imperious and demanding. Sometimes, and she resented this the most, she even had to send messages to his friends on his cell phone—as if she were some secretary. Syaoran never makes me do this, she would think defiantly even as she obeyed Yasu. And the thought never failed to warm her, to make her feel better.
One morning, Syaoran collapsed into the chair beside Sakura, somewhat red with anger. His mother was pressuring him about an ad for the hotel they owned, and he was furious that he'd been assigned to take care of something that was someone else's job. He had to design and lay out the ad, then determine where to put it in the paper.
Appalled, Sakura asked, "Isn't that the PR person's job?"
Syaoran leaned back and placed an arm over his eyes briefly—he hadn't gotten much sleep recently—and then said, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."
He opened a new Adobe InDesign file and began to choose from design layouts. He then turned to Sakura, and handed her a printout of the ad copy. "I suck at writing copy," he joked weakly. "Could you...please, rewrite this?"
"Of course," Sakura smiled at him, and Syaoran felt as though things would be better now that she was with him. She read the text, and was unable to suppress her laughter. "Come to the HOTEL and CELEBRTAE the celebration of ur life with a celebration to end all parties, come one and to all!!" it said.
"You ought to fire your PR person," she giggled. "This is beyond lame. Grammar, spelling, everything!" She quickly typed in, "Come celebrate life's happiest occasions with us," to replace the offending line.
"Believe me, I would like nothing better," Syaoran said softly as he ran through various fonts. "God, everything looks gaudy. Arial's too plain, as is Times, and my mom hates Verdana."
"Try Palatino," Sakura suggested. "It's not offensive and is easily read."
Syaoran clicked on the font, and it looked good; she was right. "You have an eye for this," he complimented her.
"Oh no..." she blushed.
He turned to look at her. "You really should learn to accept compliments," he said softly.
"Ah..." and she blushed even harder.
His cell phone went off with several messages, but Syaoran ignored them all. Sakura's nearness, her soft voice, her soothing presence...his anger was dissipating slowly.
"I'm done with the text," Sakura said softly. "I can go now, leave you to your work..."
"Don't," Syaoran said gently. "Please. Stay. I might need your help in a while." He didn't, but he wanted to savor being with her if only for a moment or two. Syaoran caught himself when he almost leaned his head on Sakura's shoulder; he jerked backwards, but instead moved his chair so that his arm was touching hers.
He is so warm, Sakura thought, not daring to move or break the connection between them, not knowing that Syaoran wasn't moving for the same reason.
And neither of them knew that Eriol was watching them sadly from a distance.
Author's additional note: A lot of the events here are taken from a real couple I've been wanting to write about for months. You can tell they are in love but they simply can't have a relationship. This story is dedicated to CheeseyCraziness for finally putting the whole thing together and for inspiring me to write. Expect the second part of this threeshot in a month.
