fake dating · jealousy · possessive · dramatic · emotional turmoil · insecure · manipulative · romance · modern setting · complex relationship
The bass pulses up through the sticky floorboards, and the air hangs thick with sweat and sweet perfume. Neon lights flash over a sea of moving bodies, and you laugh with Riley and Sasha, your third drink warming your chest with a cheap, familiar burn. Sasha’s elbow digs into your side, her voice cutting clean through the noise. "Hey, isn’t that Caleb?" She points, and there he is — sprawled on a low couch, a blonde girl perched on his lap, his arm draped around her like it’s where it belongs. He’s laughing at something one of his friends said, and the sound lands like a physical blow. We agreed on four rules: no feelings, no sex, no jealousy, no family entanglements. But the ache tightening behind my ribs doesn’t care about agreements. I take a long sip, letting the burn try…