CHAPTER ONE.

I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.

Resume:

Through time you evolve and grow. A story about two blind people trying to reach the other but too afraid to tell what they feel, too roughed up by their past to see what's in front of them. Still, Fate seems to have a hand in it, because no matter what, when it's true love, you're pulled to the other, and no one, no one can escape destiny. Roughly based after chapter 273. There will be lot, but like A LOT of fluff, and longing. And a little angst. Lot of grow and humour. (The trigger warning is mostly for one moment of the story, the rest is mostly fluff and slow-burn, and a sprinkle of angst.)

TRIGGER WARNING, TRIGGER WARNING:

There will be one moment - in later chapters- depicting a non-consensual event(rape) in the story. It is not the focus of the story, nor will this story be dark-focused before or after that. It will be state clearly when it is the case and there will be markers so that you can skip the passage(s) if you do not wish to read it. It won't be explicitly described, as it is not the point. It is also not for the sake of drama but an engaged choice. Again, you will have the choice to skip it. This trigger is part of the reason the story owns the M rating.

The other reasons will only be sweet, not dark.

I'm currently cross-posting on Ao3 and correcting the former punctuation from a few years when I started this story and I didn't know better. On Ao3, there are already 15 chapters with proper punctuation and 59 chapters posted there, but otherwise, know that starting chapter 27, it is the proper "quotes and quotes" punctuation on both platforms. I will continue to correct on Ao3 but I will mostly post more chapters on it, and it could be a while before it is changed here too. However, the very first chapter you are about to read has been corrected. I hope you can understand I have been progressing along the way, as well as this story evolves and grows.

That being said, I genuinely hope you will love this story as much as I love writing it. Kisses to you all.

My apologies for the long intro.

Story begins.

She started walking. She had her answer. From the very mouth of her best friend.

Well from her text.

She reached the studio where the shooting of The Lotus in the mud was taking place.

It's not that she was especially surprised. She knew he would eventually end up with someone. It just didn't add up to what she knew as Bo. No way that actress was a sixteen year old high school student.

Kyoko signed and closed her eyes.

It hurts.

Maybe it didn't work out with her and he decided to finally attempt to be with someone. Someone else.

It hurts so much.

She shouldn't let her be fazed. She knew it. Knew it from the start.

That it wouldn't be her. That it would never be her.

Even if that scandal had been a fake, even if all had been made up, which she doubt, or even if they weren't together but just fooling around. Eventually, he will find someone, someone he loves dearly, even if it's not Kana and stay with that person. An that person won't be her.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she clenched her teeth.

"Come on, have a grip Kyoko."

She had to build a backbones. She had to.

It was the only way she would manage. The only she could stay part of his life.

She wouldn't be able to do it if she flinched every single time. Wouldn't be able to talk to him if she wanted to run each time. Wouldn't be able to see him if her eyes clouded by unshed tears.

And THAT was, by far, worse than him not reciprocating. She wanted to be part of his life, to see him, even just time to time.

Even if she was just a lowly kohai.

She signed again.

For now, she was going to keep her distance a bit and try to compose herself and calm down. So that that next time she would be able to face him without freaking out.

It had been weeks. WEEKS!

Six fucking weeks!

The sun would rise and fall but it was like he was in a perpetual night. He didn't feel alive, he just barely exist. The backlash of her absence spinning around him was so far worse than by the past. Well, he was also a lot more bewitched by her mere presence than before. Just knowing what she was doing, if she was okay had been enough in the past. She wasn't car-pooling with Yashiro-san and him, a pretext of the sort: she wanted to build her endurance for Momiji by riding her bike came by. Ren felt like a junker and the withdrawal was really bad. Sadness was cloaking him in a dark and depressive cape and he hadn't be able to crack a smile even to fool Yashiro-san.

No sign of her. No calls returned, neither texts. She was avoiding him of course. He had apologized, even if he didn''t understand why she was upset, no matter the explanations of Kotonami-san. He did understand what her friend said and he knew kyoko sort of see him as a god actor but still, surely, she couldn't resent him that much. He didn't need a reminder she didn't see that way.

When the rumor with Kana-san didn't downside, he had decided to organize a press conference and explained with courteous words that though Kana-san was charming, he and her weren't an item and that Kana-san had been a mischievous one by stealing a kiss from him.

But even then, Kyoko attitude didn't change. He called her again and again. Without answer.

He wasn't sure what the best course of action was. Disrupting her shooting would really be unfair for her even if it would have been the only way to oblige her to talk to him.

That's why Ren had been so sure that if the rumour was cleared she would have come around eventually. He had done all he could. Called her, texted her. Apologized profusely. Cleared the misunderstanding with kana. All checked.

He couldn't really stalk her on her work place, could he now…He was bothersome enough with his calls and texts. Her vocal mails box was surely filled by his messages at this point.

But she wasn't coming around. She wasn't even giving the tiniest sign that she would. And he was starting to fear the worse.

If she didn't want to talk to him, see him or spend time in his company, he couldn't force her. He would have to accept it.

No matter how much it would destroy him.

It wasn't even a fear anymore, it was slowly becoming a certitude. He was losing her.

Scratch that. Be honest, he had lost her.

And that's how Ren found himself crossing the door of another closed off bar, not able anymore to stay in his flat, alone, with his thoughts.