CHAPTER 8: JEALOUSY APPEARS
573 Words
CHAPTER 8: JEALOUSY APPEARS
After the moment that was interrupted, Amelia stopped waiting for explanations.
Not because she didn’t want them…
But because she was tired of almost everything.
Almost-confession.
Almost-answers.
Almost-being chosen.
Williams, on the other hand, couldn’t focus anymore. Every time he saw Amelia around campus, he remembered how close he had come to finally saying it all.
And how easily it was taken away.
Two days later, Amelia was sitting outside the faculty building when a new presence appeared around her usual space.
A guy from another department—confident, relaxed, the kind of person who spoke easily without overthinking.
“Hey,” he said casually. “You’re Amelia, right? I’ve seen you around.”
She looked up politely. “Yes?”
He smiled. “I’m Daniel. I think we share one general course.”
It was harmless. Simple. Normal.
But Williams saw it.
From a distance.
And something inside him tightened immediately.
Daniel didn’t do anything wrong. He just talked. Sat nearby. Laughed a little too comfortably.
But Williams noticed everything.
The way Amelia didn’t push him away quickly.
The way she responded politely.
The way she looked… at ease.
And for the first time, Williams felt something unfamiliar but sharp.
Jealousy.
Later that evening, Williams finally walked up to her.
Amelia looked up when she saw him, but her expression was different now—more guarded.
“You were busy earlier,” she said calmly.
He ignored that.
“Who is he?” Williams asked directly.
Amelia blinked. “Excuse me?”
“The guy you were talking to.”
There was a pause.
Then Amelia stood up slowly, crossing her arms. “Since when do you ask me that?”
Williams hesitated.
That was the problem. He had no right—but he couldn’t stop himself.
“I just want to know,” he said.
Amelia gave a small, almost tired laugh.
“You don’t get to disappear when it suits you,” she said, “and then come back asking questions like you have a claim on me.”
That hit him harder than expected.
Because she was right.
Williams looked away for a moment, then back at her.
“I don’t like seeing you with him,” he admitted.
Amelia went quiet.
Not because she didn’t understand…
But because she did.
Too well.
The silence between them became heavy again, but this time it wasn’t soft or emotional.
It was tense.
Real.
Unresolved.
“I don’t know what you want from me,” Amelia finally said.
Williams stepped slightly closer, voice quieter now.
“I don’t either,” he admitted. “But I know I don’t like the idea of losing you.”
That sentence softened the anger in her expression—but didn’t erase it.
Because liking someone wasn’t enough anymore.
Not after everything that had almost happened.
Amelia looked at him for a long moment.
Then said softly, “You keep coming back when it’s convenient for you to feel something.”
That line stayed in the air.
Williams didn’t respond immediately.
Because this time…
he didn’t have a defense.
Amelia picked up her bag.
“I need space,” she said simply.
Then she walked away.
Williams stood there, watching her leave again.
But this time, it didn’t feel like distance.
It felt like a consequence.
And for the first time, he realized something clearly:
If he kept hesitating, someone else wouldn’t.
- Writer
