'I don't know what I did to make you upset, but you could at least tell me instead of avoiding me. I don't care if this sounds desperate because we're friends. If that's no longer the case, say so, so I'm not sitting around waiting to hear from you like a fool.'

Who does she think she's kidding? Sasuke just arrived home after a long night of entertaining snobby professionals for hours. He unbuttons his bowtie and falls onto the sofa, kicking off his shoes and glaring at his phone's screen. Hours have passed since he watched Sakura flee the banquet in tears, but the image is fresh in his mind.

Crying has never moved him. Why does it bother him now, then?

The truth makes him angry. It's because it's not just anyone crying. It's Sakura. It's the woman to whom he's bared his soul, albeit accidentally. What makes it worse is that the tiniest spec of hope that she truly is the empathetic and supportive person she pretended to be as Haruki is her true personality. That's why he can't stop thinking about it. As hurt as he is by her actions, he can't help but imagine an alternate reality where he's the asshole for not believing her despite her innocence on the matter. The idea that his harshness in that hallway was unwarranted and those tears were genuine makes his stomach churn.

Sakura lied. She pretended to be someone else to get him to reveal things about himself she knew he'd never share with anyone. Every day, she looked him in the eye with that pretty little smile and acted ignorant of the fact. Sasuke wants to talk to Haruki about this because that's who he's turned to in moments of insecurity, but he can't. Haruki is Sakura. Haruki no longer exists. He's not a real person. The idea that it's been his pink-haired, fiery co-worker this entire time, offering comfort and encouragement any time of day or night, is something the Uchiha man can't wrap his head around.

Why did she put in so much effort just to keep up the lie? What does she possibly have to gain by messing with him like that? That's why he's stumped. Sakura did it, but he doesn't know why, and his pride won't allow him to ask. So, Sasuke falls asleep on the sofa, half drunk and unhappy.

On Monday, Sakura shows up right on time rather than early like usual. She also leaves the moment she's able instead of working the full day. Karin watches the pink-haired woman silently step out of the office. Once the door is closed, she glances at Sasuke, "She's weirder than usual today, right?"

The man grunts, forcing his gaze back onto his computer screen. It shouldn't matter to him whether or not Sakura is upset. He's upset, too, and it's all her fault.

"Alright, I've had it," the Uzumaki woman sighs loudly. When he looks up, she's standing in front of his desk with crossed arms and a frown. Like a mother disciplining a child, she berates him, "Something is going on, and both of you are keeping me out of the loop. Spill."

"I'm your boss," Sasuke bites, her confidence reminding him of Sakura's and making him annoyed again.

"And you're making it impossible for me to do my job because you keep sulking! So, tell me the truth. Did you two fight again? I thought things had gotten better."

"Me, too," Sasuke says under his breath, sighing and attempting to refocus on work.

Karin's frown falters.

The man groans, pushing his keyboard away and letting his pounding head fall into his hands. That's it. He can't keep it together anymore. "I've been talking to someone on AC since August. I just found out it's been her the entire time."

The Uzumaki woman remains silent for a long time while she processes his confession. So long, in fact, that Sasuke looks up to see her bewildered face. Eventually, she laughs, a hand to her lips, "That's hilarious! No wonder she's freaking out! What'd she say when she found out?"

His brow furrows as he glares, "You assume she didn't already know?"

By her face, it's obvious Karin realizes she's misunderstood the situation and gasps, lowering her tone with both hands on his desk as she offers an incredulous look, "Pardon my frankness, but are you kidding? You don't think she catfished you on purpose, do you? You've met the woman!"

"How could she not know? It can't be a coincidence we started working together just days before we were matched or that I've never seen her use the app," Sasuke's lost his ability to care about professionalism for the moment because letting go of his stress after days of holding it all in is cathartic.

"That woman may have all the grace of a bull in a china shop, but she'd never do something like that, especially to you!" Karin apparently understands his state of mind because her tone softens, as does her firm expression, "She may not want to make a career here, but she works even harder than me sometimes. Have you not noticed that she treats you differently than everyone else?"

"She doesn't-" "She does, Sasuke."

The pair stares at one another before the redhead rolls her eyes, crossing her arms again, "Tell me, and be honest. How many others have you seen her personally ensure eat something each day? Who else have you seen her go out of her way to adjust her behavior for other than you?"

No one. There's no one else. How has he not noticed before? He even told Haruki that Sakura sees him as just another person.

Guilt meets his stomach, but appreciation overrides it as he recalls all the little things he subconsciously blocks out. The woman forces him to eat lunch, sometimes even bringing homemade meals. She memorizes every little bit of information she's given about him in case it's needed in the future, like his allergies, dislikes, and preferences. After realizing he doesn't like having casual conversations, she never tried to pressure him into it because she wants to be respectful. He's always thought it was out of spite. When she knows he's uncomfortable, like at Matsuri's birthday get-together, she puts herself in a place to be comforting without forcing herself into his bubble.

"Damn it…." Sasuke curses under his breath, running his hands down his face.

Why has he tried so hard to make her out to be a bad person?

Karin smiles as though she can read his mind, "You're scared, aren't you?"

He is. That's it.

That's why his initial reaction to discovering Haruki's identity was to flee and push her away. He's scared because he doesn't know how to act around someone who knows all his secrets. He's terrified she'll somehow use it against him despite knowing that'll never happen. …And he's afraid she'll be hurt, and it'll be because of him. Being rejected by him now, before anything serious has happened, will be better than what'll happen if he lets things proceed further and it all comes crashing down.

"You know, I was foolishly hoping you'd become interested in me if I proved myself enough," the redhead suddenly says.

Sasuke refocuses on her, surprised by her proclamation.

She seems amused rather than hurt, as her words suggest, "But I'm…I'm happy for you two." It's as if she suddenly realizes he's there and she's not alone, and she sheepishly laughs, pushing her glasses up her nose a bit, "Don't get me wrong. Losing to Sakura pisses me off, but I can't deny you seem more, I don't know, alive when she's around."

He spends the rest of the workday in his head about what he should do about his pink-haired coworker. There's no doubt in his mind that they'll have to talk about things face-to-face at some point. What he doesn't know is what to say. How can he tell the woman he cares for more than he ever has anyone else that they can't be together? How can he look Sakura in the eye and reject her again, this time with zero malice? Sasuke wants to know how to tell her he's scared without…. He can't think straight.

When he gets home, it's raining, pouring even. He stands in the kitchen, staring at the spot on the island where the woman sat during their at-home work week. His eyes dance over to the large sofa. He imagines how her long hair looked while she slept there the morning after Matsuri's birthday. All of the memories hold a different emotion than before now that he knows it's been his best friend the whole time.

The person who knows him better than anyone else is none other than Sakura. Sasuke is embarrassed to face someone who sees past his professional facade, though it's clear he shouldn't be. Allowing someone to see the real you, the version you keep hidden from others, is scary. Some married couples never reveal such things to one another as he has to her.

The Uchiha man spends the rest of the evening scrolling through the entirety of his and "Haruki's" conversations. As he does, he tries to picture the pinkette's pretty green eyes and sheepish grin. He tries to keep in mind the way she always seems to be aware of his condition, even when he tries his best to mask his discomfort. There's no doubt about it. She and Haruki are one and the same.

Sasuke finds himself dialing her number. He has to know for sure if everything was planned or simply a coincidence. He freezes before he can hit the "call" icon. For some reason, he ends up calling someone else, someone he hasn't confided in for a while.

"Wanna get some ramen?"

"No, Naruto, I don't want ramen." Honestly, who answers phone calls like that?

The annoying blonde man scoffs on the other end of the line, "Well, what're you doing calling me in the middle of the week then?"

Sasuke hesitates.

"...What's up, Man? Everything okay?"

Naruto ends up coming over because the Uchiha man can't bring himself to spit out the truth over the phone. Once he's there and the two are eating, you guessed it, takeout ramen, the D.O.O. stares down into his bowl and forces the words out, though they're uncharacteristically quiet, "I met someone."

"You what?!" Naruto nearly chokes on his mouthful of noodles, coughs for a bit, drinks some water, and then stares, open-mouthed, at his best friend, "Who is she? Do I know her? When did you guys meet?"

The Uchiha man pokes at his food with his chopsticks. He doesn't have much of an appetite with all the inner turmoil, "I downloaded AC and made friends with a guy."

"Wait a minute…. You really are gay, then? Bro, I totally didn't mean to tease you about it before! Whatever gets you, y'know, goin' is fine with me," the Uzumaki interrupts before the rest of the explanation can be given.

"No, Dumbass, let me finish!" Sasuke rolls his eyes with a frown before continuing, "There's a woman I work with that…" He groans, "Long story short: I was catfished by the person I like, and I don't know if she knew my identity or not."

Quite unlike his usual antics, Naruto takes his time chewing his bite of food before swallowing. Sasuke waits for whatever he'll say, only to sit straighter when the Uzumaki snickers, "It's Sakura, right?" The Uchiha is speechless. His mouth opens slightly, but no words come out. His friend laughs loudly, a million times more relaxed than before, "Don't act so surprised, you dick. I may not be a genius, but I'm not a complete idiot! Do you think I wouldn't be able to tell when you've caught feelings for someone?"

Sasuke can only sit there, dumbfounded. Naruto continues teasing him, "Why else do you think I've been avoiding you? It's so you can spend more time with your girl, Man! Am I a great friend or what?"

"Shut up, Idiot," Sasuke finally snaps out of it, elbowing the blonde in the side before shoving a huge bite of ramen into his mouth. He's humiliated. Here he was, thinking he was all mysterious and composed when someone as stupid as Naruto Uzumaki was able to pinpoint his crush like they're back in high school.

His friend simply laughs as they continue eating in relative silence. Later that night, after freshening up, Sasuke lays down for bed. He stares at his phone as it charges on the nightstand. Everything in him wants to call or text Sakura, but he doesn't because that'd be reckless. Say she is innocent. Does that change anything? They still won't be permitted by his parents to be together. Sure, they could fool around, but it won't be long before Mikoto begins setting him up on blind dates to find a marriage match.

As he falls asleep, the Uchiha man is unsure of how he'll face the pinkette tomorrow at work.

…..

Sakura should've known better than to have even an inkling of hope that Sasuke Uchiha would be interested in anything other than their one-night stand. Her naivety is what's caused her broken heart, which led to her leaving the banquet in tears after the man all but shouted at her. It took everything in her to go to work that coming Monday. She even left earlier than usual because it was too hard.

Now, she's scrolling around online, looking for a job or two to replace her current one because she can't stay there.

She sees nothing on the screen as her mind wanders back to her boss. She feels like a fool for not noticing the signs that he and S are the same person. Worse still, a gutwrenching hurt keeps pulling at her heart because when he realized who she is, his first thought was that she's been manipulating and lying to him all along. Does he have no faith? What about all the nights they stayed up late talking about anything and everything? Does Sasuke not appreciate how hard she's tried to be a good person in his eyes at work, either? All his actions are saying that she has made the worst possible impression on the man, but Sakura simply can't wrap her head around it.

As much as she wants to be angry, she's more heartbroken than anything else.

Tears well in her eyes, causing her dazed vision to blur further. She still cares about him despite how badly he's treating her. It's wrong because she should have more self-respect, but she can't help it. When she recalls how he saved her from being run over, acted cute when he was drunk after Matsuri's birthday party, and how he stood up for her when Kiba came around, she's filled to the brim with affection.

It's as though he's two different people: the person he truly is and the person he thinks he has to be for the sake of everyone else.

She much prefers the real Sasuke, the one who extends a quiet kindness to those around him so as to not gain unwanted attention. Sakura wants the Sasuke who is too polite to tell someone that he doesn't like sweet things if that's what he's served. Most of all, she wants the Sasuke who gave someone like her a chance when no one else would.

Her phone rings suddenly. She wipes at her eyes before answering it. The number isn't familiar. "This is Sakura." She winces, hoping whoever is on the other end can't tell she's been crying.

"Sakura, it's Mikoto. Do you remember me from the banquet?"

A bittersweet smile meets the pinkette's lips. She pulls her knees up to her chest as she sits on her bed, "Of course. How are you? I'm sorry we didn't get to meet up again. Something came up." She pauses, "...Wait. How did you get my number?"

Mikoto laughs prettily, her voice warm, "I have my ways. Anyway, I'm doing some shopping and need some company. Are you busy? Have you had dinner?"

Sakura glances at the sad excuse of a kitchen nearby. It's almost six in the evening. Truthfully, the woman doesn't want to do anything but sulk at home, but she doesn't want to be rude to the kind woman from the party, so she bites back a sigh and says, "Should I meet you somewhere?"

"Oh, wonderful! I'm so excited to see you again!" Mikoto gushes.

The pair irons out the details of their meet-up location before ending the call. Feeling a little happy to have a distraction from her mess of a love life, Sakura gets dressed before leaving her apartment.

With one last glance at her building, she waves down a taxi.

Sorry again for the delayed chapter! I've recently started a new job, and I'm going to be starting school in the fall, so life has been exciting but busy!

I appreciate the patience, and I intend to get back on track with updates!

Thanks for reading!