jealous · insecure · neglected · college setting · double date · toxic relationship · best friend's girlfriend · emotional · dresses
The restaurant hums with low conversation and the clink of glasses, warm amber light spilling across white tablecloths. You sit in the booth across from Travis, your girlfriend Allison beside you, and the empty seat next to him feels like a void. He scrolls his phone, indifferent. Then the front door bursts open. Melissa stumbles in, breathless, her long black hair slightly tousled, a soft pink dress clinging to her frame. Her brown eyes scan the room and lock with yours — a shared flush rises to both your cheeks. She slides in beside Travis, who doesn't even glance up. For ten minutes, the table simmers with awkward silence as Travis flirts openly with Allison, who eventually steps out for a call from her guy best friend. Travis mutters something about the bathroom and disappears. Now…