back when we were still changing for the better, wanting was enough / for me, it was enough / to live for the hope of it all / cancelled plans just in case you'd call and say "meet me behind the mall" / so much for summer love and saying "us" / 'coz you weren't mine to lose / you weren't mine to lose
- august, taylor swift (folklore)
define the relationship— yeah, that's the plan.
sakura is smart. she's got great grades, teachers only have high praises about her, her room is littered with plaques and medals and trophies, and all that jazz. one look at her determined eyes and you know she has a bright future ahead of her, and she knows it too.
but then summer came, and sasuke uchiha entered her life…
and suddenly, all she knew was him.
he is the grandchild of the city's governor madara uchiha where her father works for a very long time, which means he comes from a very wealthy family. he is there for the summer to start early with his training for the future. he's only 17 but his life is already written down for him.
they met when she went to her dad's office to deliver his forgotten lunch, and saw sasuke sneak into the rooftop. thinking he went there to jump, sakura immediately followed him upstairs and saw him at the edge of the building. with heart in her mouth, she tried to "talk" him out of it and told him that he's not alone and that there will be a lot of people who will be affected if he ever decides to end his life.
sakura had never heard a laugh so beautiful.
she caught the youngest uchiha's attention that day and that was the start of their friendship. and with friendship comes deeper understanding and connection, until sakura fell in love.
summer vacation is almost over and sakura is scared that these feelings of hers will linger until after the summer's gone. as she waits at the back of the new mall that opened last month, she's afraid that she might come back here just to retrace the memories. boys like sasuke always leave because their lives are too big and too grand to contain in this small city, after all.
a car honks a few distance from her and she looks at sasuke's familiar red vehicle. she has been inside that car for exactly 19 times in two months, and this 20th time may be the last one before he walks out of her life.
she takes a deep breath before slowly walking towards it, wishing that this won't be the last.
once she reaches the passenger side, she hears the unlocking of the door and she hops in. his car smells like him— expensive and can't be reached. but just like sasuke, it's warm and she feels safe.
sakura gives him a curt smile before tugging on the seatbelt, "where are we going today?"
of all the times they've been together, they always go to places with less crowds. sasuke is not a fan of people, much less a whole bunch of them stacked in one place, and sakura is too generous to indulge him in that. so they've hung out to different galleries outside the city, old libraries and theaters, and even went hiking once.
sasuke is quieter than usual today and it makes her a little nervous. she can tell he is thinking about something. she's about to suggest that he just rest for the day because he seems troubled but sasuke finally speaks.
"can we just go to our house?"
her eyes go wide, "what?"
sasuke looks at her earnestly and sakura can feel her strength disappear out of her body.
"i'll be back home tomorrow," he says. "my father needs me back early."
sadness is quick to enter her system and she can already feel the heaviness inside her chest. she ignores it. "sure," she answers. with a playful shove to his arm she says, "if you wanted someone to help you pack sasuke-kun, you could've just told me! i canceled my plans for you today because you insisted, you know?"
sasuke doesn't need to know that she canceled her plans every time he asked to meet.
once they reach the enormous mansion of the uchihas where his grandfather lives, she's again reminded of the harsh reality. this is something out of a romantic novel or a shoujo manga if everything falls into place— a pauper falling in love with a prince and vice versa.
but this is no fiction— this is real life. and his life is predetermined already since he was born, while hers are written in the stars that she's still trying to put into constellations. they're living in two different worlds. he's following his family's footsteps, and she's got places to be.
few hours passed and they're almost done with packing everything that he'll bring back home. he went downstairs a few minutes ago to get her some drinks and it's taking him a while so she decided to help him out.
she hears his voice first before recognizing the other voice which belongs to his grandfather.
"i told you to leave it," sasuke's voice is soft, but anyone can hear the tension in them. as if he's trying not to be too loud.
the city mayor, madara uchiha, speaks with his signature proud tone. "speak up louder, sasuke," he demands. "you can't run for a position in the government if you're like that. have i not taught you anything?"
"can i go? i have a guest upstairs."
"who? that haruno girl you've been seeing this entire summer?"
sakura feels her heart beating out of her chest because the older uchiha said it with such disdain. she badly wants to see what sasuke's doing or at least what he looks like, but she also dreads it at the same time.
madara continues speaking, "i'm assuming with that silence, i'm correct." another silence comes and sakura hears him chuckle. "oh, sasuke… you should break up with her now."
"she's not my girlfriend," sasuke spits out.
"oh, really?" his grandfather mocks. "if she's not your girlfriend, then why are you always sneaking out and seeing each other at the back of the mall? are you really that ashamed of dating a girl like her?"
outside the room where they are, sakura bites her lip from screaming out. she doesn't know what to do or what to feel. she feels so lost.
"i mean, i can't blame you. that family is no good for us, sasuke," madara says. "she is no good for you."
sakura hears a chair being moved and she immediately runs as fast as she could up to sasuke's room. she fights the tears that started to form and takes several deep breaths as she waits for sasuke to come back.
she's able to know what their relationship really is for sasuke— she is just a mere guest, and she is not his girlfriend at all. two months of getting to know each other and she isn't even considered as a friend.
two different worlds, her mind supplies for her. yes, i got it.
when sasuke comes back, she pretends to talk to someone on her phone.
"yep," she murmurs. "okay, i'll be there soon tennie… see you."
when she looks back at him, there is no sign of anything on his face. just a blank canvass of beautiful cheekbones, elegant arches of his eyebrows, and his stunning dark eyes that holds a silent question for her.
"that was my friend tenten," she lies. "i have to go now. she needs some help."
"why?" sasuke asks. "i can drop you off, it's dark now."
"n-no!" she stammers. "i'm good, you still have to finish packing. sorry i can't help you anymore." she quickly dashes for her purse and walks towards his door. before she sprints downstairs and walks out of his life, she spares him a final glance.
"take care on your way home," sakura whispers. she sees him placing down the tray of snacks and drinks, and she is struck by the realization that this is the last time she'll see of him.
"goodbye, sasuke."
"wait, sakura! let me dr-" his phone rings, interrupting him on what he's about to say and sakura takes the opportunity to slip away while he's distractedly looking at the caller.
as she walks out of his house, there is anger simmering inside her as much as the pain does— angry that she didn't have the courage to stand up for herself and her family earlier, angry that she didn't have the strength to ask sasuke about what they are or even tell him how she really feels; and most of all, angry that she is heartbroken over a boy that was never hers to lose.
wanting is a dangerous thing. she knows this now.
a/n: omg i am 2 days behind this series aaaaa i'm so sorry, i just got really super busy. i want to catch up but idk if i can at this point lmao but rest assured that i will be finishing this series!
the exciting news that we have is finally out! we have an upcoming project- LEGACY! this is an upcoming sfw zine about the uchiha family and we are so excited to work on this for you guys! we'll be opening our interest check soon so please watch out for our announcements. please follow our accounts on all social media platforms. (i can post links here on ffnet but if you follow me on twitter please check out my pinned post) hopefully you can all support us on this one as well! thank you!