accidentally in love

The Jealousy Game

It was one of those rare school days when everything seemed to fall into place—except for one thing. Zayn couldn’t focus. He had been sitting in his usual spot at lunch, half-heartedly listening to his friends talk about the latest sports match, but his mind kept drifting. The thought of Aradhya lingered in his head, like a song stuck on repeat.

She had been quieter lately, more distant, but still... every time he got near her, there was that tension between them. It wasn’t the playful, teasing kind of tension anymore. No, this was something different—something deeper, more undeniable. But the more he tried to figure her out, the more she seemed to pull away, as if she didn’t know what to make of him either.

That’s when he saw him—Alex.

Zayn’s eyes narrowed as he watched Alex walk into the cafeteria. The guy had only just transferred to the school a week ago, but already, he was causing a stir. Tall, athletic, with a charm that seemed effortless, Alex had quickly made himself popular, and of course, he knew exactly how to get everyone’s attention. What made it worse was that Alex seemed to have taken a particular interest in Aradhya.

"Who’s that guy again?" one of Zayn’s friends asked, glancing over at the new student.

"Alex something-or-other," Zayn muttered, barely paying attention. He had no interest in knowing more about him.

But then, the sight of Alex walking toward Aradhya's table caught his attention. The way Alex flashed that winning smile at her, the way she laughed at something he said—it was enough to make Zayn’s blood boil. He hadn’t even realized it, but the moment Alex approached Aradhya, Zayn felt a sharp pang in his chest.

Aradhya smiled brightly at Alex, her eyes sparkling in a way Zayn hadn’t seen before. She leaned in a little as Alex said something that made her laugh. It was an easy, natural kind of laugh—one Zayn wasn’t used to hearing from her, especially not around him.

Zayn clenched his fists under the table, trying to control the sudden surge of irritation building in his chest. What was that? Why did he feel so... possessive? It made no sense. He had no right to feel that way. They were just friends—well, not even that. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to figure out what he meant to her.

But the way Alex was looking at her, the way he was leaning in just a little too close—it made Zayn want to do something rash. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

As if on cue, Alex glanced over at Zayn, catching his gaze. A knowing smile spread across Alex's face, and Zayn felt his stomach turn. The guy was doing it on purpose. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Hey," one of Zayn’s friends nudged him, noticing his dark expression. "You alright?"

Zayn forced a tight smile, trying to shake off the jealousy that was beginning to eat at him. "Yeah, fine," he muttered, standing up abruptly. "I’ll be right back."

He walked toward Aradhya’s table with purpose, his mind racing. The last thing he wanted was to look like some jealous fool, but there was something about Alex that rubbed him the wrong way. He didn’t even know why. Maybe it was the way Alex had a way of making people feel like they were the most important person in the room. Or maybe it was just the way he was looking at Aradhya—like she was someone to be won.

As Zayn approached, he could feel the tension building in the air. Aradhya looked up at him, a surprised but pleasant expression crossing her face.

"Zayn!" she said, her voice light and warm, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—a hint of confusion, maybe. She clearly wasn’t expecting him.

"Hey, Aradhya," Zayn said, forcing his voice to sound casual, though his fists were still clenched. "Mind if I join you?"

Before she could answer, Alex jumped in, grinning widely. "Of course, man. We were just talking about the history project. You’ve got some pretty great ideas, Aradhya." His smile was friendly enough, but the underlying challenge in his tone was clear.

Zayn’s eyes flickered to Alex, then back to Aradhya. "History project, huh?" he said, trying to keep his tone light, though the words came out a little more clipped than he intended. He sat down beside Aradhya, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. "That sounds... fun."

Aradhya raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing the change in the atmosphere. "Are you okay, Zayn? You seem a little... off."

"I’m fine," Zayn said quickly, though he wasn’t sure if he believed it himself. He could feel his jealousy rising as he glanced at Alex, who was looking at him like he had won some sort of unspoken contest.

Alex smiled, completely oblivious to the tension, and leaned back in his seat. "You guys are such a great team," he said, clearly trying to play the role of the friendly, easy-going guy. "I can already tell that this project is going to be a breeze for you two."

Zayn felt his jaw tighten. Team? What the hell was that supposed to mean? It was too casual, too easy. And it made his skin itch with frustration.

Aradhya didn’t seem to notice the shift. She was smiling at Alex, nodding along as if it was all normal. But Zayn could see it now—the way she seemed to glow when Alex was around, the way she laughed with him. He wanted to tear his hair out. He couldn’t stand it.

"Yeah, it’ll be great," Zayn said, a little too sharply. He felt Aradhya’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look back at her just yet.

"Well, I guess I’ll leave you two to it," Alex said with a grin. "I’ve got to run, but I’ll catch you guys later."

As Alex stood up and walked away, Zayn could feel the heat of his jealousy slowly dissipating. But it didn’t vanish entirely. It lingered in the back of his mind, like a fire that refused to die down.

Once Alex was out of earshot, Aradhya turned to Zayn, her expression softening. "Are you sure you’re okay?" she asked, her voice low.

Zayn forced a smile, trying to push the irritation aside. "Yeah, I’m fine. I just... I don’t know, I didn’t expect to walk into that."

Aradhya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Zayn said quickly, but the words were already out, and he couldn’t take them back. "It’s just... I don’t like seeing you with someone else, I guess."

The words hung in the air, and Aradhya blinked, clearly taken aback. For a moment, neither of them said anything. The silence stretched out longer than either of them was comfortable with.

Then, Aradhya spoke softly, almost hesitantly. "Zayn, I didn’t—"

"I didn’t mean to make it weird," he said, cutting her off. "Forget I said anything."

But deep down, Zayn knew he couldn’t forget it. He had just admitted something to himself that he hadn’t been ready to face—he was jealous. And for the first time, he wasn’t sure what that meant