Jealousy And Realization
1118 Words
Episode 4
The next day, Grace made a decision.
She was going to act normal.
No overthinking.
No running away.
No confusing feelings.
Just… normal.
But as she stepped onto campus, she already knew that was going to be harder than she thought.
Her eyes immediately searched for one person.
John.
“Focus, Grace,” she whispered to herself, adjusting her bag.
She headed toward her lecture hall, determined to ignore the thoughts in her mind. But even during class, she found herself distracted again.
“Grace,” Anita whispered, nudging her. “You’re doing it again.”
Grace sighed. “I know.”
“Did something happen?” Anita asked.
Grace hesitated. “Not exactly… but I think I like him.”
Anita’s face lit up. “Finally! You admitted it.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “It’s not a good thing.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to get hurt,” Grace said quietly.
Anita softened. “You won’t know unless you try.”
Grace looked away. “That’s what scares me.”
⸻
After class, Grace slowly walked toward the mango tree.
Her heart was beating faster than usual.
What if he’s there?
What if he’s not?
As she got closer, she saw him.
But he wasn’t alone.
John was standing near the tree, laughing… with another girl.
Grace stopped walking.
Something inside her tightened.
The girl was beautiful—tall, confident, with a bright smile. She seemed comfortable around John, like they already knew each other well.
Grace felt something unfamiliar rising in her chest.
Jealousy.
She didn’t like it.
She didn’t understand it.
But she couldn’t ignore it.
“Grace?”
She turned quickly. It was Anita.
“What are you staring at?” Anita asked.
Grace pointed subtly. “Him.”
Anita followed her gaze. “Oh… who’s that girl?”
“I don’t know,” Grace said, her voice quieter than usual.
“Are you jealous?” Anita asked directly.
Grace hesitated.
“…No,” she said, but it didn’t sound convincing.
Anita raised an eyebrow. “Grace.”
Grace sighed. “…Maybe a little.”
Anita smiled knowingly. “That means you really like him.”
Grace didn’t respond.
She just stood there, watching.
⸻
Meanwhile, John hadn’t noticed Grace yet.
The girl in front of him, Sarah, was an old friend from his department. They had known each other for a while, and she had just returned from a short break.
“You disappeared for days,” Sarah said playfully.
“I’ve been busy,” John replied.
“Busy… or distracted?” she teased.
John laughed. “Maybe both.”
Sarah tilted her head. “By what?”
Before he could answer, his eyes shifted—and landed on Grace.
Standing at a distance.
Watching.
His expression changed instantly.
“Hey, I’ll catch up with you later,” he told Sarah quickly.
“Wait—” she started, but he was already walking away.
⸻
Grace turned to leave.
She didn’t want to face him.
But it was too late.
“Grace!”
She stopped.
Her heart raced as she slowly turned around.
John was walking toward her.
“Hey,” he said, slightly out of breath. “When did you get here?”
“Just now,” she replied, trying to sound normal.
John studied her face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said quickly.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Grace nodded. “Yes.”
There was a brief silence.
John hesitated. “You saw me with Sarah, right?”
Grace’s eyes flickered. “I wasn’t really paying attention.”
John frowned slightly. “She’s just a friend.”
Grace shrugged. “You don’t have to explain.”
“But I want to,” he said.
That caught her off guard.
“Why?” she asked.
John looked at her seriously.
“Because I don’t want you to misunderstand anything.”
Grace felt her heart skip.
⸻
They sat under the mango tree again.
This time, the silence between them felt heavier.
“I didn’t know it would bother me,” Grace said softly, almost to herself.
John turned to her. “What would?”
She hesitated, then looked at him.
“Seeing you with someone else.”
The words hung in the air.
John blinked, surprised.
“Grace…”
She quickly looked away. “I don’t know why I feel this way.”
John smiled slightly. “I think I do.”
She looked back at him. “What do you mean?”
He leaned closer, his voice gentle.
“It’s because you care.”
Grace’s heart pounded.
She didn’t deny it this time.
⸻
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The tension between them was no longer confusing—it was real.
And undeniable.
“John…” Grace started, her voice uncertain.
“Hmm?”
“I think I’m scared,” she admitted.
“Of what?”
“Of this,” she said. “Of how fast everything is changing.”
John nodded slowly.
“I get that,” he said.
She looked at him. “You do?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “But sometimes… the best things happen when you don’t overthink them.”
Grace smiled faintly. “You always say that.”
“And you never listen,” he teased.
She laughed softly.
⸻
The tension eased slightly, but something had shifted.
They were no longer just friends.
There was something deeper now.
Something they both felt—but hadn’t fully named yet.
⸻
As the sun began to set, John stood up.
“Walk with me?” he asked.
Grace hesitated for a moment… then nodded.
They walked side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing.
Neither of them moved away.
⸻
At the end of the path, Grace stopped.
“I should go,” she said.
John nodded. “Yeah.”
There was a pause.
“Grace?”
She looked at him. “Yes?”
“I meant what I said,” he said. “About not wanting you to misunderstand.”
She smiled softly. “I know.”
He hesitated, then added,
“And… I’m glad you care.”
Grace’s heart skipped again.
“Me too,” she said quietly.
⸻
That night, Grace sat by her window, looking up at the sky.
She wasn’t confused anymore.
She wasn’t running either.
For the first time, she was accepting it.
Her feelings.
Her fear.
And the possibility of something real.
⸻
And as she closed her eyes, one thought stayed with her—
This wasn’t just a simple campus friendship anymore.
It was becoming something more.
Something she couldn’t ignore.
- Writer
