When the cab arrived, I slid into the passenger seat while the two women sat in the back.
Suddenly, Selena turned to Jessica and asked, “Jess, why didn’t you tell me you and Cameron broke up?”
“It’s nothing. Just a case of seeing things clearly and cutting my losses. There wasn’t anything to tell you,” Jessica replied flatly.
Her words made me glance up at the rearview mirror, and our eyes met for a brief moment.
There was so much in her gaze—things I couldn’t understand.
Selena’s voice broke the silence again, “Lena, you don’t look so good. Are you feeling okay?”
I turned back to see that Jessica was very pale. Her brows were furrowed and her head was lowered, silent as ever.
After a moment’s hesitation, I spoke up, “Is it your stomach? You should take your medicine when you get home.”
Jessica lifted her gaze and locked eyes with me, her stare intense and unreadable.
I quickly turned away, ignoring her.
It had been so long since I had thought about her, yet her eyes—sharp like thorns—made me uneasy. Though I couldn’t shake the discomfort, I refused to look back.
I felt a surprising flash of irritation. She was the one who had left me and thrown everything away to be with Cameron. Yet now, here she was, acting vulnerable in front of me like I owed her something.
She had made this mess herself.
The cab soon arrived near Jessica’s place, and without a word, she got out and walked off.
When we got to my place, I walked into the complex with Selena. This time, I reached out and took her hand.
She let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you’d be upset for Jess when you heard she broke up with him.”
She was silent for a while before asking, “Seb, you must’ve liked Jess a lot, right?”
As I looked at Selena, I suddenly felt the urge to tell her about my past with Jessica, that we had once been a couple. But what’s the point? That was all in the past. If I brought it up now, there would be so much I wouldn’t be able to explain.
I gently ruffled Selena’s hair. “Silly girl. Right now, all I know is that I like you.”
She lowered her head, blushing and smiling shyly. We walked hand in hand around the complex for a while before heading home separately.
As soon as I got to my place, Jessica’s call came through.
“You really slept with Selena already, didn’t you?” she asked bluntly.
Strangely, my heart was calm as I replied, “Isn’t that normal?”
There was a long pause on the other end before Jessica spoke again.
“Seb… I owe you an apology,” she said, her voice softening. “I regret it. I realized I don’t love Cameron. All this time, I’ve been thinking about you and the five years we spent together.”
Her words coming out in a rush, she continued, “I really regret introducing you to Selena. I was worried you’d mess things up for me with Cameron, so I ended up pushing you two together by mistake. I know you don’t really like her, and I don’t want you to throw away your happiness for me. You don’t have to force yourself to be with Selena just because of what I said.”
“Jessica, I’m with Selena now because I like her. It has nothing to do with you.” I replied.
She was silent for a moment, then said, “…I don’t believe you.”
I thought about it for a second before saying, “When you moved out, I slipped some of the medicine I bought for you into the side of your suitcase. Just take it. If that’s all, I’m hanging up now.”
“Wait!” Jessica stopped me before I could end the call. “Seb… get back together with me. I don’t mind that you’ve slept with Selena…”
