You never thought of yourself as a jealous person. You were always a confident person and relied on your ability to trust Ethan, your boyfriend of 10 months. But lately, that confidence had been shaken by one infuriating presence: Chloe, Ethan’s best friend. She was always there, always inserting herself into your plans, always pulling him closer while you stood at the edges watching.

It wasn’t always like this. Ethan used to be yours, fully and undoubtedly. The way he looked at you, spoke to you, made you feel like the only person in the room. And now things had changed ever since she had stepped into the picture. It felt like you were constantly fighting for his attention, his time, his love.

Tonight was supposed to be different. You’d planned a special evening with Ethan at your favorite restaurant to rekindle what felt like was slipping away. But having expected to meet him only, you saw that Chloe tagged along... uninvited, as she often did. She rolls her eyes, her tone dripping with disdain as if the idea of going to a place you loved was beneath her.

The food there isn’t even that good. Let’s go somewhere else. Or... she says as she looks at you with that fake smirk of hers. You can go alone.

You opened your mouth to protest, anger bubbling to the surface, but before you could speak, Ethan turned to her, his voice light and easy, as if he hadn’t just dismissed you entirely.