Chapter Text
Sharpness and Iris had been together for almost a year, and to everyone around them, they seemed like the kind of couple that just worked. They weren't perfect, obviously. They had their occasional arguments and little disagreements, but they always found a way to laugh about them afterward. Sharp especially loved how easy it was to talk to Iris. She was one of the few people he could be completely himself around, and he genuinely believed that she felt the same way about him.
They had met through mutual friends and slowly became closer over time. At first, Sharp never expected their friendship to turn into anything more. Somehow, late night conversations turned into daily messages, teasing turned into flirting, and eventually, Iris asked him out. Sharp still remembered how nervous he'd been when he said yes. Looking back, it felt almost silly how happy he had been that day.
Sharp was the type of boyfriend who remembered small things. He knew Iris' favorite foods, the songs she liked, the things that annoyed her, and even the little habits she had whenever she was nervous. Whenever they went out, he would sometimes buy her something small just because it reminded him of her. Iris always seemed happy whenever he did, and seeing her smile was usually enough to make Sharp feel like he had done something right.
They spent most of their free time together. Sometimes they would go out with their friends, while other times they would just sit somewhere and talk about random things for hours. There were even days where they barely did anything at all. They would just stay together, sharing jokes and complaining about school or whatever else was bothering them. Sharp liked those moments the most because he never felt like he had to come up with something interesting to say.
Their friends had gotten used to seeing them together. If Sharp was somewhere, there was a good chance Iris wasn't far away. Their friends would occasionally tease them about how attached they were, which usually earned them an annoyed look from Sharp and a laugh from Iris. Sharp pretended to hate the teasing, but secretly, he didn't mind it that much.
Of course, their relationship had its problems too. Iris could sometimes be difficult to deal with, especially whenever she was upset. Sharp would try to talk things out with her, even when he didn't completely understand what she was angry about. Sometimes they would argue over small things and spend a few hours avoiding each other before eventually making up. Sharp always told himself that relationships weren't supposed to be perfect anyway.
There were moments when Sharp wondered if he was doing enough for her. He sometimes worried that he wasn't as good of a boyfriend as he could be, but Iris would always reassure him whenever he brought it up. She would tell him that she was happy with him, and Sharp would believe her without question. He trusted her completely, perhaps more than he should have.
To Sharp, Iris wasn't just his girlfriend. She was his best friend, someone he had grown comfortable sharing almost everything with. He had gotten used to having her around, to seeing her name appear on his phone, to hearing her voice whenever they hung out. He couldn't imagine suddenly not having her in his life.
And maybe that was why Sharp never noticed the little things that were changing. The shorter replies. The excuses. The times Iris suddenly seemed distracted whenever they were together. Sharp noticed them, but he never thought much of it. Whenever something felt wrong, he convinced himself that he was simply overthinking.
After all, Iris had always told him that everything was fine.
And Sharp trusted her.
But that of course didn't last for long.
Their anniversary was still a few days away, but Sharpness had already started preparing for it. He had been thinking about it for weeks, mostly because he wanted everything to be perfect. It wasn't that Iris had asked him to do anything special. In fact, she hadn't really mentioned their anniversary much at all. Sharp simply wanted to surprise her. Almost a year together felt important to him, and he wanted to make the day something they would both remember. He had even started making a mental list of everything he needed to prepare, although the list had gotten considerably longer than he originally expected.
The first thing Sharp had to figure out was the gift. He knew Iris well enough to know what she liked, but that somehow made choosing something even harder. He didn't want to buy her something generic, and he definitely didn't want to give her something she already had. For several days, he casually paid attention whenever they talked, trying to pick up on anything she mentioned wanting. Eventually, he found something he knew she would love. He ordered it and immediately regretted not buying it sooner when he realized how nervous he was about it arriving on time.
Once the gift arrived, Sharp carefully opened the package and inspected everything. He smiled to himself before putting it away somewhere Iris wouldn't accidentally find it. He also bought some of her favorite snacks and a few smaller gifts to go along with it. None of them were particularly expensive, but Sharp had chosen each one because they reminded him of her. He spent almost an entire evening wrapping everything, getting increasingly frustrated whenever the paper folded incorrectly. After several failed attempts, he finally managed to make the gifts look presentable.
The card was even more difficult.
Sharp sat at his desk with a blank piece of paper in front of him, staring at it like it had personally offended him. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, but actually putting it into words was another problem entirely. He wrote something down, read it, cringed, and immediately crossed it out. He tried again, only to decide that the second version somehow sounded worse. After nearly an hour of this, Sharp finally settled on something simple and honest. It wasn't anything overly dramatic, but it was from him, and that was what mattered.
Then came the venue.
Sharp wanted somewhere quiet enough that they could actually talk, but still nice enough to feel special. He spent hours looking through different places, checking menus, photos, reviews, and prices. Every time he found somewhere that seemed perfect, he would hesitate and wonder if Iris would like it. Eventually, he found a restaurant that seemed to fit everything he was looking for. It wasn't too fancy, but it had a comfortable atmosphere and a nice view from the tables near the windows. Sharp immediately decided that was where they would go.
He even made a reservation.
Afterward, Sharp sat back in his chair and looked at everything he had prepared so far. The gift was hidden safely away, the card was finished, and the restaurant was booked. He still had a few more things to figure out, but most of the difficult parts were done. He couldn't help but smile as he imagined Iris' reaction when she saw everything. He pictured her opening the gifts, reading the card, and hopefully giving him that smile he loved seeing so much.
Over the next few days, Sharp kept everything a secret. Whenever Iris asked what he was doing, he would simply tell her that he was busy. He had to be careful not to accidentally mention anything about the plans, especially when she started asking suspicious questions about why he kept disappearing. Sharp found himself getting excited every time he thought about it, even if he tried not to show it.
He genuinely believed this was going to be one of the best days of their relationship.
He had no idea that he was preparing for a day that would completely change the way he saw Iris.
The day of their anniversary, Sharp finally finished putting everything together. The gifts were wrapped, the reservation was confirmed, and the card was safely tucked away with the rest of the things he had prepared. All that was left was to tell Iris where they were meeting. He wanted to keep it somewhat of a surprise, so instead of telling her everything he had planned, he decided to only send her the location and let her figure out the rest.
Sharp opened their messages and typed out the name of the restaurant before attaching the address.
Sharp: "Be ready later. I made a reservation for us here :)"
He stared at the message for a moment before sending it. A small smile crept onto his face as he imagined Iris getting excited when she saw it. He put his phone down and waited for her response.
Nothing.
A few minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Sharp wasn't too worried at first. Iris could have been busy with work, especially since she had been working more often lately. He picked up his phone again and checked whether she had seen the message. There was no indication that she had even opened it.
Sharp: "Did you get my message?"
He waited again.
Nothing.
Sharp sighed and leaned back in his chair. He glanced at the time and considered calling her, but decided against it. He didn't want to bother her while she was working. Besides, he figured he could just tell her in person. He already knew where she worked, and he had visited her there plenty of times before.
So, after grabbing his things, Sharp made his way to her workplace.
It wasn't unusual for him to show up there. The security guards had seen him so many times that they barely reacted whenever he walked through the entrance. Sharp often came by to visit Iris, so his face had become familiar to them over time.
Sharp gave one of the guards a small wave as he approached.
"Hey."
The guard nodded back. "Here for Iris?"
"Yeah," Sharp replied. "I'm just here to pick her up."
The guard raised an eyebrow slightly. "Pick her up?"
Sharp nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah. It's our anniversary today, so I wanted to take her somewhere before we celebrate. I figured I'd surprise her and take her home myself."
The guard gave him an understanding nod and stepped aside to let him through. "Alright. You know where to go. Happy Anniversary!"
"Thanks."
Sharp walked inside, adjusting his bag over his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel a little excited. He had spent so much time preparing everything that he was finally ready to see Iris' reaction.
He found a place to sit and waited.
At first, he wasn't bothered. He figured Iris would eventually come down when she had a break. He checked his phone every few minutes, hoping to see a message from her. Nothing. He sent another text, but once again, there was no response.
Sharp glanced toward the hallway leading further into the building.
Maybe she was just busy.
He decided to wait a little longer.
Minutes turned into nearly half an hour. Sharp sat quietly, occasionally checking the time and then his phone. The excitement he had felt earlier slowly began to mix with confusion. Iris usually let him know if she was going to be busy, so he couldn't understand why she wasn't answering.
Eventually, Sharp stood up.
He hesitated for a moment before deciding to go inside and look for her. He had been here enough times that he knew roughly where her workplace was, and nobody stopped him when he walked further into the building.
Sharp adjusted the bag on his shoulder and quietly made his way down the hallway.
He was still thinking about how Iris would react when he told her about the reservation.
He was still thinking about their anniversary.
He was still completely convinced that everything was fine.
Sharp adjusted the strap of his bag as he continued down the hallway, occasionally glancing at the doors around him. He had been here enough times that the building no longer felt unfamiliar. There was something comforting about knowing the way around, especially since he had spent so much time waiting for Iris after work. Sometimes he would sit in the lobby until she finished, and other times she would meet him outside when she was finally free. It had become part of their routine, something so normal that Sharp never thought twice about it.
He checked his phone again.
Still nothing.
Sharp frowned at the screen before opening their chat. His last message was still sitting there without a response. He briefly considered calling her again, but decided against it. He didn't want to seem impatient. Maybe she was in the middle of something important, or maybe her phone was somewhere she couldn't reach it.
"She's probably busy," he muttered.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and continued walking.
As he got closer to Iris's workplace, Sharp began noticing how quiet the hallway was. Most of the employees were probably still working, and he didn't want to disturb anyone. He slowed down when he reached the entrance and looked through the glass.
He couldn't see Iris.
Sharp stood there for a moment, wondering if he should wait outside or go in. After everything he had planned for today, he didn't want to ruin the surprise by barging into her workplace. But at the same time, he had already come all this way.
He took a breath and stepped inside.
The room was larger than he remembered. A few desks were scattered around the area, with employees sitting at them and focusing on their work. Sharp kept his head down as he walked further inside, trying not to draw too much attention to himself.
Then he stopped.
There was a familiar voice coming from somewhere nearby.
Sharp looked up.
He couldn't quite make out the words, but he recognized the voice immediately.
"Iris?"
His expression brightened.
Finally.
He followed the sound, walking around the corner with a smile already forming on his face.
But before he could call her name again, he heard someone else laughing.
Sharp slowed down.
There were two voices.
Iris's voice was one of them.
The other belonged to someone Sharp didn't recognize.
He stood just outside the room, hesitating.
Maybe she was talking to a coworker.
That was normal.
There was nothing strange about it.
Sharp was about to walk in when he heard Iris say something that made him stop completely.
"Sharp doesn't know."
His smile disappeared.
Sharp stared at the doorway.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
He wasn't even sure if he had heard correctly.
His fingers tightened around the strap of his bag.
"What?" the other person asked.
Sharp's heart began beating faster.
He leaned slightly closer, listening.
Iris laughed quietly.
"He thinks I'm still at work."
Sharp's stomach dropped.
He didn't understand.
Why would she say that?
He stood frozen in the hallway, his mind desperately trying to come up with an explanation. Maybe she was talking about something completely different. Maybe he had misunderstood her.
Then he heard the other person speak again.
"Does he know about us?"
There was a pause.
Sharp's breathing stopped for a moment.
Iris answered.
"No."
Everything suddenly went quiet in Sharp's head.
The bag on his shoulder suddenly felt heavier.
His eyes remained fixed on the doorway as the meaning of those words slowly began sinking in.
Sharp had spent days planning everything.
He had chosen her gifts carefully.
He had booked their dinner.
He had written her a card.
He had spent the entire morning excited to celebrate another year together.
And now he was standing outside a room, listening to his girlfriend talk about something he apparently wasn't supposed to know.
Sharp didn't know what to do.
For the first time that day, he didn't feel excited about seeing Iris.
He felt afraid of what he was about to find out.