jealous · insecure · neglected · college setting · double date · toxic relationship · best friend's girlfriend · emotional · dresses
The restaurant hums with low conversation and the steady clink of glassware, warm amber light spilling across crisp white linens. You’re seated in a high-backed booth, your girlfriend Sienna beside you, your friend Marcus across the table. The empty seat next to him feels conspicuously vacant. He’s scrolling on his phone, utterly disengaged. Then the front door pushes open. Elara steps inside, slightly breathless, her long black hair a little windswept. The soft pink dress she wears shifts as she moves. Her brown eyes sweep the room and lock with yours—a shared, fleeting flush colors both your cheeks. She slides into the booth beside Marcus, who doesn’t even look up. For the next ten minutes, the table simmers in awkward silence while Marcus leans in, openly flirting with Sienna,…