Pact

15

You sigh, putting your face in your hands. You had just gotten back into the car, having finished spending several hours with your parents. You were beyond done with this night. If you needed any more reason to not pay your parents a visit, this night was it.

Sakusa sighs, starting up the car. "Seatbelt."

"Right." You remove your hands from yuor face, fastening the seatbelt. You look out the window, not daring to even spare a glance in his direction.

The curly haired man starts driving. "That was quite the eventful night. I wasn't expecting to be asked some of those questions. I'm just glad I gave an answer your mom seemed to like. I think this plan would've fallen apart if I answered more honestly." He quickly takes a peek at you from the corner of his eye. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I don't wanna see my mom for a while. She shouldn't've asked those questions. She got way to personal, even when she new this was a new relationship."

He hums, focusing on the road in front of him. "I see. Well, at least things went fairly alright. They seem to approve of this relationship, so our agreement should have no problems. Aren't you at least happy about that?"

"I can't say I care either way." You lean your head against the window, staring at everything you pass by. "Whether they approve of you or not doesn't really affect our agreement. We would probably still pretend to be a couple in the public eye, just so that things don't get chaotic."

Sakusa purses his lips, forming a thin line on his face. "I suppose you have a point. But this plan was meant to benefit the both of us. You didn't want people pressuring you to get into a relationship, and if your parents had a problem with me, we might not have been able to continue with this. The point was to seem like the perfect couple so that no one can try hitting on either of us, or have people complain that our relationship isn't good."

You huff out a breath, crossing your arms over your chest. "Who cares what others think? If they hear we're in a relationship, they should just mind their own business."

He tightens his hold on the steering wheel. "I'm trying to think practically about all of this. I know what happened at your parents' house might've put you in a bad mood, but please try to understand what I'm trying to say."

"I understand, but I just don't get why you care so much about what others think."

His eyes widened, having been oblivious to how much he cared in the first place. "I guess that's just something that's always been a part of me."

You slowly turn to look at his side profile. "You've always cared what others thought of you?"

"Even if I don't like physical contact, or I act like I don't care much about other people, I still find others' opinions important. I mean, I'm a figure in the public eye. I need to care about my image, even if it's just a little. You should understand that too. I mean, you're a famous author. People have expectations of you."

You narrow your eyes. "I don't show myself, nor do I make public appearances. I only have public social media accounts because my publishing firm made them for me. They have me update from time to time, but people within the company run the accounts. I have no control over what goes out the majority of the time. It's rare for me to even be talked to about book signings or other events where I interact with readers."

"I see." He closes his eyes for a brief moment. "You're lucky then. You don't have to act a certain way in order for your career to be alright. You don't do interviews, you don't have to have any kind of meet and greets with your fans. You get to hide in the shadows, even choosing when to contact friends and family."

You scoff. "What's with the sudden attitude, Kiyoomi?"

"You just don't understand what I have to go through. I'm contacted by so many people daily. People watch my every move. I need to be careful when it comes to my private life. You just don't get it, do you?!"

You lean over the moment the car stops, pulling him in for a quick kiss. "Calm down. I may not have the same experience as you, but that doesn't mean I don't get what you're saying. And I don't choose when I contact other people. I don't have friends, we all drifted apart after school. I never have the time or energy to contact my parents. I'd like to check in on them at least once a week, but I'm too busy with work. I only keep myself hidden from the public because I don't want people to try invading my privacy. There are some people that have to move frequently, or work hard to find a safe place, all because they're the center of attention and people want to get to them. I have a contract that's meant to protect me and my privacy. I just want time to myself, so that I won't have any interruptions while I work."

Sakusa slowly turns to face you. "I wish I didn't have to be as public as you with my career. There are times when I worry about fans finding my personal information. You probably saw just how many followers I have on social media, considering you found out about my posts to announce our relationship."

You nod. "Yeah. It's kinda ridiculous how little privacy you actually have." You give him a gentle smile. "If you ever want time away from other people, you're more than welcome to come to my apartment. It's a little safe haven from all of the normal chaos you deal with."

"Can I stay the night? I don't wanna deal with going back to my place right now."

You unbuckle your seatbelt, opening the car door and stepping out. "Make yourself at home, Kiyoomi."