ᴡʜᴀᴛ sᴘʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴇʀʀʏ ᴛʀᴇᴇs‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ❀‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ || sᴛᴀʀsʜɪɴᴇ x ᴋᴇɪᴛʜ ʟᴏɢᴀɴ ⁽ⁿˢᶠʷ⁾

[Keith Logan]

•  ☘︎  𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑥 𝑘𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑛  ☘︎  ٠ •  ——————–  •  𔓘  •  ——————–  ٠ 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 •  ——————–  •  𔓘  •  ——————–  ٠ ​

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 · · ───── ⋅ ───── · ·​

⠀SYNOPSIS⠀ ⠀CHARACTERS⠀ ⠀CHAPTER I⠀ "I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees." He wants her to be happy. She is introduced to happiness like never before, great thanks to him. On this journey of self-discovery and bestowed with the absolute trust in her to only do what is best for her, for them, will she use the greenlight responsibly, or end up falling astray? When the going gets tough, how much will he be willing to sacrifice his own joy for the sake of hers?​ Themes: Consensual, Dark Romance, Polyamory, Drama. ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎𝐽𝑜𝑠ℎ𝑢𝑎 𝑀𝑐𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎𝐽𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑎 𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ 𝐵𝑢𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

 

[Keith Logan]

"𝑈𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒. 𝑂𝑛𝑒'𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛; 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒'𝑠 𝑗𝑜𝑦."  •  ————–  •  𔓘  •  ————–  • •  ————–  •  𔓘  •  ————–  • 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐼 : 𝐵𝑢𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔​ "Welp." "I guess that means another round of sake." The couple had only just finished a full bottle, right before the howls of strong breeze and the pitter pattering of a spring night's rain began to pelt against the exterior of the quaint uptown izakaya. The pair of recently engaged lovebirds were reclusive introverts. But whenever they were in each others’ presence, they would gleefully feed off each others’ spark, two elements reacting to each other to form an intense sizzle. Observers from afar would often notice the unmistakable contrast in energy as opposed to when they were alone, of how the pair could gossip and laugh amongst themselves for hours on end, hand in hand, head to shoulder. They would transform into a spontaneous bunch, like how they just decided to aimlessly trek an hour away from their accommodation, which was situated at the heart of the Kyoto's city centre, then somehow found themselves dining by the only eatery along a secluded, tranquil avenue, of which they would probably struggle to get out of the mazy streets if they intoxicated themselves any further. Joshua and Julia were notoriously light weight when it came to the consumption of alcohol. But in a land where it wasn’t uncommon for consumables to be infused with peaches and yuzus, it was hard to resist the promise of a good night, ushered by saccharine booze. It was always a good time when Joshua McKinna and Julia Howell, the J&J dynamic duo, were together. Due to be married in just under seven months, this Kyoto trip was supposed to be their last major vacation together as girlfriend and boyfriend, or rather, fiancée and fiancé to be precise, right before they officially tie down the knot. The pair first met each other during their freshman year of college. It took only a fortnight for them to realise just how unbelievable a fit they were to each others' gloves. Contrary to most couples where ups and downs were interwoven into the fabrics of their relationships, their immaculately smooth journey was an envy for many. It was surreal how they could read each others' mind like an open book. They shared a breath of same interests, values and almost all philosophical views. Much of those were cultivated since birth, certainly helped by the fact that they were both raised with half Chinese and American blood and heritage within their respective families. They had never fought, because they understood each others’ needs and desires, were able to pick up cues on just about any nuances, perceptively eliminating the detonating cord to any metaphorical dynamite with unconscious compulsion, even before a spark could have a remote chance of ever igniting a situation out of proportion. They were predictable. They were perfect for each other. Too perfect. Too... smooth sailing. The grass is not always necessarily greener beyond the horizon of one's field of vision, be it literal or figurative, even if the resounding evidence painted an immaculate picture. It was extraordinarily easy for the lovebirds to entrust their wellbeing and lives to each other. What had never ever been a fleeting concern, was that it was also impeccably easy for complacency to trickle through behind the shroud of habitual jouissance, a rotten seed rooting itself, discreetly thriving amidst the conducive, ignorant environment like a parasite for as long as it wasn't weeded out. Joshua and Julia were young and none the wiser to the seed's existence. They never had an opportunity to test their grit, resolve and resoluteness in the face of tribulation. Because tribulation never existed in their little bubble. At least for Joshua, he was sucked under the rose tinted illusion that the love that he shared with Julia was transcendently indestructible. Nothing in the past eight years of their time together had given him any reason to believe that their foundation that they built alongside and with one another, could realistically be wavered. Joshua was a predisposed thrill seeker, a happy-go-lucky individual who possessed high degrees of openness. And he had every reason to believe Julia shared the same mindset as he did, base on the plethora of unforgettable memories that they shared as a result of their spontaneity. As such, it became thematically common for Joshua to be tempted to play with fire, when the concern for consequence of actions had turned negligible, since he had utmost confidence that they were always able to figure a way around any dissonance. "Those two girls over there? Six out of ten each." Joshua most spontaneously decided to start a round of rate that chick or hunk. "For context, I'd rate you an eight." He teased, with a tone most nonchalant, demeanour oh-so-calm, as if there was nothing inherently wrong with not giving the love of his life a perfect ten, not especially when feisty bantering were part and parcel of their daily dynamics, sizable romantic tension yielding from the manner in which they often poked fun at each other. "That group of four there averages about a seven point nine. Close. Could potentially surpass an eight if they would just put some makeup on." There weren't many patrons dining in at the izakaya that evening, which wasn't all that surprising, given that it was located on a god forsaken street which only saving grace was the stretch of pretty blossom trees lining up along one side of the nondescript avenue. Six other females, and... a damn fine subtly tanned brunet of possibly French and Asian mix? Actually, maybe more Hispanic than Asian in him. It was so hard to tell. He seemed all over the place. The man was in an unbuttoned suit along with a pair of matching pants. He was dressed down to unwind, tie undone and scrunched up on his table. He looked to be in and around his thirties. Like the couple, the enigmatic man did not look like he belonged around there. Joshua eyed him for a good moment, before reverting his gaze back onto Julia. His eyes narrowed when he caught her ogling at the majestic foreigner. Joshua wasn’t the jealous sort. And he could understand why Julia had laid eyes on this other man because objectively speaking, he too believed he was good looking and exuded an air of debonair. He could appreciate any gorgeous lady like 11/10 Julia herself that might pass him by, as much as he knew Julia had every prerogative to feast her eyes on an eye candy whenever one came along. "Sheesh." "Look at you." "Go on then. Be honest. I can see it in your eyes, so don’t you dare lie to me." •  ————–  •  𔓘  •  ————–  •​