Chapter 121: Achievement Unlocked: Jealous Idiot
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"I wouldn’t care even a little."
"What if she got his number?"
"Good for her!"
"What if they left together?"
Okay, my heart didn’t like hearing that part. But nonetheless I did what I did best, deny what I truly felt.
"They’re adults—they can do whatever they want." I said.
"What if they started dating?"
"...great for them, honestly."
"What if—"
"I don’t fucking care!"
I realized I’d said that louder than I intended, noticing several nearby customers glance over at us.
I smiled sheepishly at everyone. "Sorry."
Once everyone returned to their own conversations, Maya crossed her arms, looking smug as if she’d proven a point through my outburst. "You do care."
"I don’t."
"You do."
"I sincerely don’t!"
Joey leaned toward Maya. "He cares."
"Definitely," she agreed.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my cool. "Listen closely: I like Damien, sure."
Joey’s eyes narrowed into sluts as he grinned. "We’ve been knew—"
"But there’s nothing going on between us." I explained, trying to find the reason in my words as I spoke. "He’s not mine just because I like him..."
"Naturally," Maya said, with the calmness of someone who’s already figured it all out.
"So, I wouldn’t care if he was with someone else."
The words spilled out before my brain could approve them. Then, because my brain wasn’t helping (it hadn’t been on my side in a long ass while), I imagined exactly what that would look like.
Damien, with some pretty girl. Laughing at something he said, like I did, only she’d do it better, with more ease without rolling her eyes right after. Her hand on his arm. Him smiling that genuine smile, the one that slipped out before he knew it and her kissing him.
Something inside me twisted so suddenly it felt like a punch to the gut.
I blinked.
Okay, that bothered me.
I had walked in on Melanie with someone else before...what was his name again? Right Trevor... I had stood there processing it like: Well, that’s a thing. Some embarrassment, a touch of sadness, a dash of relief. Nothing that kept me up at night.
The imaginary scene of Damien with another girl felt a whole lot worse than the reality with Melanie, and I needed a moment to unpack that.
Something ugly bubbled up inside me...something possessive and uncomfortable that I didn’t want to name.
"...Oliver?"
I looked up. They were both watching me closely.
"What?"
"You zoned out," Joey said.
"You looked like you were plotting something," Maya added.
"I wasn’t plotting anything."
Joey pointed at me. "Look, here’s the thing: you walked in on Melanie with someone—"
"How do you know about that?"
"Maya told me."
I turned to Maya and sent her a glare.
She seemed unfazed. "You barely reacted that time," Joey continued. "You just walked away."
"I needed to keep my dignity."
"Exactly!" He spread his arms like he was making a closing argument. "Because you didn’t really like Melanie...not really. She was pretty as hell, sure—"
"I did like her...a little."
"But you weren’t in it. Not enough. Now imagine walking into Preston Hall and finding Damien in that same situation."
I opened my mouth, but my brain instantaneously conjured a vivid image before I could stop it.
First, I’d want to yank him away. Then demand answers. And finally, I’d either throw something at his head (probably a chair) or, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty with my screaming and overall craziness.
"...See?" Maya said quietly.
"I didn’t say anything."
"You didn’t have to."
Joey’s grin spread, clearly enjoying what he saw unfolding. "You’re totally gone for him."
I sighed, "Yeah, whatever. Sue me."
"You look at him when you think no one’s paying attention."
"We’ve finally won, Maya!" Joey beamed once more and Maya nodded with a smile. Before I could muster a counterargument, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out.
Damien😈: When do you finish today?
Need me to pick anything up for dinner?
I stared at the screen and s smile crept up from the corner of my mouth before I even realized it was happening, small and involuntary, the kind that shows up before you know you want it.
"Oh my God," Joey breathed.
"What?"
"That’s him! Speak of the devil!"
"Your ears are red...you guys are so cute, awwn," Maya chimed in.
I locked my phone again and stuffed it back in my pocket, trying to appear casual but probably failing miserably.
Joey folded his arms with that theatrical resignation of someone who’s already won the argument. "I give it two months."
"Two months for what?" I rose an eyebrow at him.
"Two months before y’all fuck."
I nearly dropped my glass of water. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Maya laughed into her coffee mug. "I’ll check back in two months."
"I hate this conversation."
"No, you don’t."
"I genuinely do."
Joey clapped me on the shoulder as if he were certain of his victory. "So, pool party...it’s happening!"
"I said I’d come."
"You’re bringing Damien, right?"
"He was invited already."
"Perfect!"
"Nothing about this is perfect."
Maya smiled. "It’ll be fun."
"I highly doubt that."
"You always doubt things, and you’re always wrong."
"That’s historically inaccurate."
"Really?"
As they shifted into debating playlists and whether Joey’s famed barbecue skills were actually as legendary as he claimed...spoiler: they weren’t, I found my thoughts drifting elsewhere, still lingering on that text from Damien. The casual warmth of it, the way he asked if I needed anything for dinner; it all felt natural, like including me in his routine without needing us to make it official.
And then Maya’s hypothetical was still echoing in my head.
Some girl, his smile. Him standing as close to her as he usually was to me. That thought settled in my chest, cozy in a way that felt disconcertingly revealing.
I kept telling myself that I’d be fine if Damien ended up with someone else. It wouldn’t matter. He wasn’t mine to feel possessive over, we were just roommates, friends, two people sharing a blanket during a blackout because it just made sense.
Even though I desperately wanted to be more than that but was too scared of ruining our friendship...but that’s not the point here!
But just imagining it, not even real, just a thought...twisted something inside me in a way I’d never felt with Melanie or anyone else. And sitting in Joy’s Café, nibbling stolen muffins while my friends went on about pool parties, that realization was the most honest thing I’d thought all week.
God, I was so far gone. Getting jealous over someone who wasn’t mine.