Jealousy Looks Good on You
1113 Words
Reig
Clara was jealous.
I knew it the moment she mentioned the flight attendant.
Actually
I knew it the moment she blocked me.
And honestly?
I had never felt happier getting blocked in my entire life.
Because jealousy meant one thing.
She cared.
Even just a little.
And for someone like Clara
who kept running from feelings like they personally offended her
that was already a victory.
Right now, however, she looked seconds away from committing physical violence inside Sara’s café.
“Were you jealous?”
Her eyes widened immediately.
“What? No.”
Liar.
A terrible liar too.
Because her ears were already turning red.
Cute.
“You brought her up first,” I pointed out calmly while sipping my coffee.
“That doesn’t mean I’m jealous.”
“Mhm.”
“I’m not.”
“Mhm.”
Her eye twitched.
Then she suddenly looked around the café and realized almost everyone was staring at us now.
Including Sara.
Who was openly pretending to wipe the same clean cup for entertainment.
Clara lowered her voice aggressively.
“Stop saying weird things.”
“Sit first,” I said lazily.
“No.”
“Rabbit.”
“No.”
“You’re making a scene.”
“You’re the scene.”
I almost laughed.
God, I missed this.
After a few more seconds of glaring at me like I personally ruined her bloodline, Clara aggressively pulled the chair in front of her and sat down.
Hard.
The chair screeched loudly against the floor.
An old man nearby flinched.
“Good morning to you too,” I teased.
She ignored me immediately before opening her laptop dramatically.
Ah.
Silent treatment.
Classic Clara.
I leaned back comfortably in my chair while opening my iPad again.
And because her reactions were becoming dangerously entertaining
I started humming quietly.
Immediately
She glared at me.
“What now?” she asked suspiciously.
“Nothing.”
“Why are you happy?”
“You’re entertaining.”
“I’m not a circus.”
“Mhm.”
“You’re so annoying.”
“And yet you still replied last night.”
That shut her up for exactly three seconds.
Then she scoffed dramatically and returned to her laptop.
Silence settled between us afterward.
Well
Mostly silence.
Because every few minutes Clara would sigh loudly like a tired office worker who hated her job.
Meanwhile I continued working while secretly watching her from time to time.
She still frowned when concentrating.
Still bit the inside of her cheek while reading.
Still tucked her hair behind her ear absentmindedly.
Some things never changed.
And honestly?
Thank God for that.
A few minutes later she suddenly spoke without looking up.
“Do you enjoy bothering me?”
“Yes.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“I’ve always been honest with you.”
That made her pause briefly.
Just for a second.
Then she looked back at her screen again.
Cute.
Very cute.
Unfortunately for her, the more she tried acting unaffected, the more obvious it became that she was emotionally spiraling internally.
Especially when she suddenly blurted out:
“Is that how you talk to girls in New York too?”
I slowly looked up from my iPad.
There it is.
The jealousy again.
I had to physically stop myself from smiling too hard.
Instead, I calmly asked:
“Do you think I’m flirting with you?”
She choked immediately.
“What?! No!”
“Mhm.”
“You’re literally just annoying.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“After you rejected me and blocked me?”
“You deserved that.”
“For confessing?”
“For acting confusing.”
That answer caught me off guard slightly.
Because for the first time
she sounded honest.
Not defensive.
Not teasing.
Just…confused.
Then quietly
Almost grumbling to herself
She muttered:
“You confess to someone then suddenly there’s another girl all over your pictures. How was I supposed to react?”
I stared at her for two seconds.
Then laughed.
Actually laughed.
A real one.
And the moment Clara realized why I was laughing
Her face turned even redder.
“Oh my God,” she groaned. “Stop looking so happy.”
“But I am happy.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You stalked her profile.”
Her eyes widened.
“How do you know that?!”
“Rabbit,” I said while leaning forward slightly. “You blocked me because of one tagged picture.”
Silence.
Then slowly
She looked away first.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I softened slightly afterward.
Because teasing her was fun.
But I also knew Clara.
And beneath all the jealousy and stubbornness
there was still insecurity hiding underneath.
So this time, my voice became quieter.
Gentler.
“There’s no one else.”
Her fingers paused above her keyboard.
I continued watching her carefully.
“That flight attendant is my friend.”
Clara didn’t respond.
“She has a boyfriend.”
Still silent.
“And even if she didn’t…”
I leaned back again before smiling slightly.
“She still wouldn’t be you.”
That finally made Clara look at me.
Completely speechless.
Cute.
Dangerously cute.
Unfortunately, if I stayed longer, I might actually start saying things I promised myself I’d take slowly this time.
So before I could ruin my own plans...
I stood up.
Clara blinked immediately.
“You’re leaving?”
The moment the words escaped her mouth
She froze.
Like she regretted sounding disappointed immediately.
I pretended not to notice.
Mostly because if I acknowledged it now, she might run again.
So instead, I simply grabbed my keys from the table.
“Work.”
“Oh.”
There it is again.
That tiny disappointment.
God help me.
Before leaving, I leaned down slightly beside her chair.
Close enough to smell the vanilla from her shampoo again.
Then quietly
Just to make her suffer a little more
I whispered near her ear:
“Next time you stalk someone from my i********:, Rabbit… at least leave a like.”
Then I walked away.
And behind me
I heard Clara choke on her coffee.
I was still smiling when I reached my car.
But before I could open the door
My phone vibrated.
Marco.
Beach outing this weekend.
You in?
And before you start acting busy…
Everyone’s going.
I stared at the message for a few seconds before looking back toward the café window.
Toward Clara.
She was still sitting there with her cheeks slightly red while pretending to focus on her laptop.
Still stubborn.
Still confusing.
Still my favorite person.
Slowly...
A smile pulled at my lips again.
Yeah.
This outing was about to get very interesting.
- Writer
