LOVE THAT FEELS LIKE A CAGE
1240 Words
Chapter 4
Tessa was not the type of person who ignored problems.
Especially when the problem involved Jasmine.
“You’re distracted again,” she said as they walked across campus together.
“I’m listening.”
“No, you’re pretending to listen.”
Jasmine sighed quietly. “I’m fine.”
Tessa stopped walking immediately and stared at her.
“You seriously need to retire that sentence.”
Jasmine laughed weakly. “What do you want me to say?”
“The truth would be nice.”
Students passed around them while music played faintly from someone’s speaker nearby. Jasmine adjusted the strap of her bag and looked away.
Tessa lowered her voice slightly. “Is it Jason?”
Silence.
Tessa groaned softly. “I knew it.”
“He’s just stressed lately.”
“And somehow that becomes your problem every single time.”
Jasmine didn’t answer.
Tessa shook her head. “One day I’m going to sit him down and explain what a normal relationship looks like.”
That made Jasmine smile.
The thing was, Jasmine understood why Jason acted the way he did.
People noticed her everywhere she went.
Not because she tried to stand out, but because she didn’t have to.
Her beauty was quiet. Soft. Effortless in a way that drew attention without trying. People stared at her in stores, on campus, in cafés. Men approached her constantly, and women noticed when they did.
Tessa hated it.
Not because she was jealous.
Because she saw the kind of attention Jasmine attracted.
“You know people are weird around you, right?” Tessa muttered.
“That’s not my fault.”
“I know. That’s why I’m ready to fight people for free.”
Jasmine laughed softly.
Tessa pointed at her immediately. “There. That. I’ve been trying to make you smile all morning.”
“I smiled today Tessy.”
“Barely.”
They continued walking toward class together, but Jasmine’s thoughts drifted again.
The unknown message from last night.
You were seen today.
She still hadn’t replied.
Part of her wanted to block the number.
Another part wanted answers.
And that part worried her the most.
***Later that evening, Jason picked her up for dinner.
Like always, he arrived exactly on time.
Jasmine got into the car quietly.
Jason glanced at her once before pulling away from the curb. “You’ve been quiet all day.”
“I’m tired.”
“You’ve said that a lot recently.”
She looked out the window. “Maybe I just need sleep.”
Jason didn’t respond immediately.
His hand rested on the steering wheel while the other brushed across her thighs.
“You know you can talk to me, right?”
Jasmine nodded slightly. “I know.”
The restaurant he took her to was far too expensive for someone like her to feel comfortable in.
Everything about it felt polished. Quiet conversations. Dim lighting. People dressed like they belonged in magazines.
Jasmine immediately felt out of place.
Jason didn’t.
He walked through the restaurant effortlessly, greeting people with small nods like he was used to places like this.
After they sat down, Jasmine adjusted nervously in her seat.
Jason noticed.
“You don’t like it here?”
“It’s nice,” she said honestly. “Just a little intimidating.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
Something about that answer made her pause.
The waiter arrived, took their orders, and left.
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Then Jason reached into his jacket pocket and placed a small box on the table.
“I bought you something.”
Jasmine frowned immediately. “Jason—”
“Open it.”
“I told you before, you don’t have to keep buying me things.”
“I know.”
His tone stayed calm.
“I wanted to.”
Jasmine slowly picked up the box and opened it.
Inside was a bracelet.
Simple but obviously expensive.
Her chest tightened slightly.
“It’s beautiful,” she admitted quietly.
“Then wear it.”
Jasmine closed the box carefully. “Jason, I can’t accept this.”
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Jason leaned back slightly in his chair. “Why not?”
“Because it’s too much.”
“It’s a bracelet.”
“It’s an expensive bracelet.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“You think I’m trying to buy you?”
Jasmine hesitated. “That’s not what I said.”
“But you thought it.”
“No, I just—”
“You don’t like when I spend money on you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
Jasmine looked down briefly before answering carefully.
“Sometimes it feels like gifts are your solution for everything.”
Wrong answer.
She knew it the moment his expression changed.
Not anger.
Something colder.
Jason’s fingers tapped once against the table before going still again.
Then he leaned back and exhaled quietly.
“Fine,” he said. “Keep it anyway.”
“I said I don’t want it.”
“Jasmine.”
Just her name.
Low and intimidating.
Just enough to stop the conversation completely.
The rest of dinner passed quietly.
Outside the restaurant, the night air felt colder than before.
Jasmine stepped outside first, wrapping her arms around herself slightly.
Jason followed behind her.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll drive you home.”
Before they could move, a voice interrupted nearby.
“Well, damn.”
Jasmine turned.
A man stood a few feet away near the sidewalk, clearly drunk and smiling too confidently.
“You’re even prettier up close,” he said.
Jasmine gave a polite smile. “Thank you.”
The man stepped closer. “Your boyfriend’s lucky.”
Jason went completely still beside her.
The stranger laughed lightly. “Actually, maybe he’s not. You should let somebody else appreciate—”
Jason moved before he could finish.
Fast.
He grabbed the man by the collar so suddenly that Jasmine jumped.
“What did you just say?” Jason asked quietly.
The drunk guy raised both hands immediately. “Relax, man. I was joking.”
Jason punched him.
Hard.
The sound alone made Jasmine flinch.
“Jason!”
The man stumbled backward, shocked more than anything else.
But Jason didn’t stop.
Another punch landed.
Then another.
People nearby started turning toward the commotion.
The drunk man tried to push him away, but Jason grabbed him again.
“Jason, stop!”
Jasmine rushed forward and grabbed his arm, panic rising in her chest.
“Jason, enough!”
For a second, he didn’t react at all.
His breathing was heavy now, eyes locked on the bleeding man in front of him.
It scared her.
Not just the violence.
The expression on his face.
Like he genuinely wanted to hurt him.
“Jason, please.”
That finally made him stop.
Slowly, he let go of the man’s shirt.
The stranger stumbled backward immediately, holding his face in shock.
People were openly staring now.
Jason calmly adjusted the sleeve of his jacket like nothing had happened.
Then he looked at Jasmine.
“Let’s go.”
His voice sounded normal.
Jasmine stared at him for a second without moving.
Her heart raced painfully inside her chest.
Because for the first time since dating Jason…
He didn’t look protective.
He looked dangerous.
And somewhere across the street, parked quietly beneath the dim streetlights, a black car remained still.
Watching.
- Writer
