Suho couldn't help but feel his heart pounding in his chest as he and Zuri walked into the CVS pharmacy at around 9:45 pm. The pharmacist behind the counter gave them a curious look, one that seemed to say, "This isn't a normal couple coming in here."

Zuri was already scanning the shelves, her brow furrowed with anxiety. "Suho, we need to get something," she said urgently, her voice barely above a whisper.

Suho nodded, his throat feeling dry as they approached the contraceptive aisle. The myriad of options overwhelmed him. There were so many choices, each with its own promises and warnings.

Zuri picked up one brand, her eyes scanning the package. "What about this one?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Suho hesitated, his mind racing. "I don't know, Zuri. Shouldn't we ask the pharmacist for advice?" he suggested, glancing nervously at the pharmacist behind the counter.

Zuri shook her head. "No, we can't let anyone know. Besides, we're both adults. We should be able to figure this out," she replied, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Their frantic argument continued, with Zuri advocating for one brand, and Suho arguing for another. They whispered fiercely back and forth, oblivious to the curious glances from other shoppers in the aisle.

They got to the counter. The not so happy or even excited Pharmacist looked down at them. "What can I get you?"

Suho spoke up, his voice confident. "We need Plan B."

"Can you pay for it?"

"Of course," Suho said pulling out his card.

The pharmacist named a figure that would have wiped out a week's grocery budget for a family. Zuri gasped at the price, and her heart sank. She couldn't possibly afford it.

"Who is this for?" THe pharmasist asked as she waited with the payment.

"My...girlfriend."

"Is she here now?" The pharmasist asked taking Suho's card and ID to ensure there were no forgeries and no money laundering.

"Uh...yeah she's standing right next to me," Suho said dryly geusturing toward Zuri.

"No, she's not," the Pharmacist replied.

"What do you mean?" Suho replied. "She is!"

"No, she's not," the Pharmacist responded more firmly. "You're not a couple."

"Excuse me," Suho replied incredulously, "how dare you?"

"People that look like both of you can't be a couple," The Pharmasist replied without an ounce of regret or remorse in her eyes or tone.

"Look, we're just trying to be fucking responsible," Suho exploded, "and now you're talking about who can or cannot be a fucking couple in America. What is wrong with you?"

The pharmacist stood firm, her posture straight, and her head held high. She finally let out a sigh and grabbed a box off of the shelves behind her. She pushed the box across the counter, her gaze never wavering.

"I am not the person to judge," she replied coldly, ". And while I do not believe in mixed-race couples, I believe in getting people, who should be having sex, protected.

"If we need it and I'm willing to buy it, then just do your damn job and don't make a big deal out of it," Suho snapped, snatching his card and ID from her. He turned on his heels and stormed out of the pharmacy, his anger seething.

Zuri followed suit, her anxiety heightened by their tense encounter.

"Fuck her," Suho s aid after they drove a few blocks away.

"She wasn't wrong," Zuri replied, her voice ladened with guilt.

Suho looked up, aghast, his face flush with anger. "Are you agreeing with her?" he barked.

"I'm just saying... People don't see us as a couple. You could see how skeptical she was when you were at the register."

"And if they have to see us as a couple before she wants to sell us something then there's something terribly fucking wrong." Suho countered, a trace of anger remaining in his words.

"But we're not," Zuri said with resignation, the enormity of their relationship hitting her. It wasn't about other people perceiving them as a couple. In actuality, they were two friends and one fucked-up arrangement.

A long pause lingered in the car, broken only by the sound of their breathing and the hum of the engine. The tension was thick and heavy, permeating the air with a sense of unease and anxiety.

Suho finally spoke, his voice tentative and tinged with an emotion that Zuri couldn't quite place. "Do you think we can be together? I mean...really together?"

"I don't know, Suho," Zuri replied, her heart aching with uncertainty. "I want to. You know I do."

"But...?" Suho prodded.

"We live two different lives," she replied sadly, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. "Even if we did get married, started a family, our parents...what they expect of us is completely different from what I've always wanted."

Suho felt tears brimming at the edges of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

A lump rose in Zuri's throat. The tension was becoming nearly unbearable, a painful reminder that their relationship was a fantasy, created by a lie that had grown beyond their control.

"Zu," Suho began. "Do you even want to keep up this charade for the rest of our lives or maybe not for long. I've told myself I'm in it for as long as you need it, I swear I've never thought of myself like me would find someone like you. I've always wanted a forever relationship."

The words seemed to hang in the air for an eternity as Zuri struggled to answer them.

Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "I don't want to end things, but we're also not boyfriend and girlfriend. There's no pretending we have an expiration date."

"This will work," Suho said, desperately hoping that their love could overcome the barriers before them. "It has to."

Zuri's mind raced. There was something he wasn't telling her. And although these past few months she brushed it off she could feel herself unravel. But Suho's resolve was almost admirable. "Suho is there anything you need to tell me?"

Suho didn't respond immediately, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. There was a brief moment of silence, filled with a mix of emotions, both good and bad. Finally, he exhaled, his words hanging in the air, "No."

As the conversation lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, the truth slowly began to seep in, the harsh reality that their relationship was nothing more than an elaborate con.

Tears filled Zuri's eyes, a mix of sadness, guilt, and betrayal. "Just drop me off at home," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. The emotional intensity of the moment weighed heavy on her. She felt the lie, the deception, and everything around it.

Losing her lifelong best friend was one thing...but this, even though it started out as a charade, what had taken place was more intimate than she was willing to accept.

Suho nodded somberly, his heart aching. The tension in the air was suffocating, and every minute that passed only intensified the sense of dread and uncertainty that engulfed them.

"Don't leave me," Suho's lips uttered as he stepped out of his car, as they reached her home. It had been the longest and most silent ride of his entire life. He'd have to drive back home. Alone.

Zuri's heart twisted at the pained expression on his face, and a part of her ached to be wrapped up in his strong embrace. But she knew they couldn't pretend anymore. "Goodbye, Suho," she said gently, a sad smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

The words hit him like a brick, and as much as he tried to hold them back, tears flowed down his cheeks. He was losing the most important person in his life, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Or felt like he could do. He didn't want to hurt her, not after all they had been through, but how would he survive without her?

With a heavy heart, Suho closed the car door and watched as she entered the safety and comfort of her home. Her eyes remained locked with his, and they stood for a moment, lingering in each other's gaze.

Zuri couldn't help but feel conflicted and confused by the ache in her chest. Suho was the one person she knew she could count on, and the thought of letting go was almost more than she could bear. Yet, as she watched his face slowly fade into the darkness, she knew it was time to make a choice.

Could Zuri forgive Suho and the lie?

And would they be able to bridge the divide and face a reality they couldn't yet understand? Love beyond expectations?