ღℳasked ℑdentityღ {Itachi Uchiha}

♥15♡

This was nothing close to lovely. The hand that marked her cheek still tingled as it hung low at your side.

"You're never satisfied, are you, Avery?" you growled, eyes pierced in a fiery accent. Your hands curled into fists, craving to meet flesh, needing to let go, but Itachi's arms restrained you from doing so.

She said nothing but cross her arms and smile at you, despite the red mark stinging her freckled cheek. The fuming in your body wasn't healthy, but just looking at the brunette before you only made your blood boil.

"What happened to you?" Your tone was filled in pity, before stomping forward. "What happened to our friendship?!"

"Friendship?" Avery scoffed, the look of 'what are you talking about?' smeared on her face. "You did this to yourself—you're the one who chose a relationship over friendship, [Name]."

"NO!" you barked, jerking forward only to be tugged back against Itachi's bare chest. "I never chose between anyone—you drifted away on your own accord!" Avery opened her mouth to object, but you interrupt, shouting, "As my best friend you were always my first priority! I always relied on you even after I met Itachi! But all you did was bully me when I tried talking to you! You pushed me away and avoided me when we crossed paths!" Your shoulders took turns shrugging to dry tears from your cheeks. "If you wanted jealousy from me, then you got it. But...damnit—enough is enough!"

Avery simply hummed, her lips amusingly twitched upwards. "Tell me [Name], how does it feel?"

You scowled. Obviously she ignored every word you said.

"Feel what?!"

"To see your best friend 'happy' in the arms of the one you love," Avery thickened. She was just kept adding thicker, flammable wood to the fire. Your eyes widened, taken aback, and felt Itachi's jaw tighten at your temple.

 "'With the one you love'? Are you serious?!" you hissed, almost whimpering. "You said you liked someone else... Why now?"

"I thought we settled this years ago," Itachi suddenly joined in; you tense up in his arms, lowering your eyes to the ground realizing that he spoke to Avery. "We agreed to never bring up that useless business again, Avery."

Pinching your brows in confusion, you slowly peer up at said female, whose brows were opposite from yours— they jumped at you in surprise.

"Ha! Oh what? Itachi never told you, [Name]?" She bit her lip, overjoyed by this intentionally added detail, and tilts her chin at the man who kept you bound. A frown slowly forms your face and slightly pull away to look at him.

"T-Tell me what?"

Onyx eyes blazed, pierced at Avery; her taunting smirk was solely responsible for his exasperated sigh. "We were... an arranged marriage. Were." That last word dropped in venom, and your belly pinched in a gasp.

That arranged shit still happens today?' you grimaced at that thought. Sure, Itachi being Japanese the culture might still continue such tradition—especially with a strict and proud Japanese man like Fugaku— but an arranged marriage with a non-Japanese family?

You stared at nothing, lost in your thoughts, until Avery's chuckle jumps you awake.

"The Uchihas' and Camdens' carried a lot of weight throughout time that both families wanted nothing but keep their reputation strong by combining the families, but—

"Long before my parents forced me to meet her, I had chosen you, [Name]," Itachi said at your ear. "I refused to go through with it, and that's why my father disapproved of our relationship at first." His glare flicked back at the mocking brunette. "I wasn't interested in meaningless love— let alone a suffocating marriage just to keep reputation."