49 Lookout
"You HAVE to try it!!~,", Jessica practically squealed, bouncing up and down like an excited puppy.
"There's as a cute little cafe a few blocks from here! Can we go? Pleasee?", she pleaded with puppy eyes, which were conveniently my weakness.
"They have amazing protein shakes and healthy wraps, you know~", she said, noticing my hesitance.
"Fine. Sounds good, I guess.", I sighed, all while holding back a terrible smile. She really looks adorable when she pouts like that.
The walk was filled with a comfortable silence. We walked side-by-side, a casual distance separating us, but the energy in the air between us felt different. Every now and then, our eyes would meet, and a flicker of something unidentifiable would pass between us.
-
The cafe was exactly as I imagined it – warm, inviting, with the buzz of conversations all over the place. We found a table by the window, sunlight streaming in and casting a warm glow on Jessica's face.
As we scanned the menu, a wave of guilt washed over me. I should be out with Anita. Not her.
I remembered us stealing kisses over steaming mugs of lattes, sharing laughter while we used to go on lovey-dovey dates. The thought of it now felt like a distant memory, a nostalgia of a happier time.
"You alright?", Jessica's voice broke through my daydream. Her gaze was filled with concern.
"Yeah, just…thinking about something.", I mumbled, lying with a forced half-smile, pushing down the melancholy memories away from my mind.
-
The barista rang up our orders, while I stared out the window and into the busy street. I was on lookout, with a nervous fluttering in my stomach. Jessica was engrossed in customizing her Caesar Salad with her Chocolate smoothie, oblivious to the internal battle I was waging. Should I had taken Jessica to the other cafe across the city?
"Yep! Add in vinegar and a little bit of citrus for me please?", Jessica smiled to the barista, while he glanced at me to take my order.
A sickly sweet voice, laced with a venomous edge, slithered into my ear.
'A cappuccino for my honeybee. And a Bitter Sweet Latte for me', it purred.
My blood ran cold. The voice, dripping with a possessive tone, possibly couldn't belong to Jessica. I froze, head mid-air as if forced in place by an unseen hand. I felt a draft of air as a certain someone placed themselves comfortably right next to me.
The barista, oblivious to the chilling scene unfolding, cheerfully wrote down our order and skipped away, humming a merry tune.
Slowly, like a man facing a firing squad, I turned my head to face Jessica.
To say she was scared would be an understatement. Her face, usually alight with warmth and life, had drained of all color. Her eyes, wide and glassy, were fixed on a point beside me, a primal terror reflected in her glance.
I followed her gaze, my blood turning to ice.
Anita sat there, a chilling smile plastered on her face, a smile that reached her eyes. Those eyes, once showed playful affection, now burned with a cold, predatory glint. They were the eyes of a predator that screamed every sense of my being that I was in grave danger. Her brown hair tucked in neatly in a ponytail, only complimented the violent vein bulging on the side of her head.
-
The silence stretched on, interrupted by sounds of cutlery in the cafe. Jessica stole a glance at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and concern. I offered her a weak smile, one that felt as thin and brittle as paper.
"So,", I finally said taking a sip of my drink, my voice breaking the suffocating tension, "what brings you here, Anita?"
It was a simple question, but had a deeper meaning. Was she stalking me? Since when?!
"Just happened to be in the neighborhood", Anita replied, her voice a touch too casual.
Yeah. As fucking if.
Her gaze flickered between me and Jessica, a silent accusation hanging heavy in the air. I could practically feel the temperature drop in the cafe. The playful, comfortable atmosphere I'd shared with Jessica moments earlier had vanished, replaced by a tense standoff.
"Funny," Jessica said, giggling nervously, "we were just taking a breather after our gym workout together. What a coincidence we workout at the same gym! H-He can be my gym buddy now~", Jessica slapped the table letting out an obnoxious laugh, while struggling to find the open end of the straw in her smoothie.
A muscle twitched in Anita's jaw. "Gym..buddy, huh?" she murmured, her voice dripping like venom.
"Sounds fun.", the last word was laced with sarcasm, a thinly veiled insult at Jessica.
The atmosphere felt heavy. It was clear Anita was threatened by Jessica, not just her physical presence, but also the harmless company she offered me.
"Yeah, it is," I chimed in, desperate to break the tension.
"We just had a nice little workout in! Maybe you might wanna join us sometime, honeybug?", I forced a laugh, all while using her weakness against her.
Anita's gaze snapped to me, a dark cloud passing over her face. Seems like using her nickname always gets her.
"Maybe.." she said through gritted teeth.
The facade of politeness was starting to crumble. I could see the anger simmering beneath the surface of Anita's carefully constructed mask.
"Well," Jessica said, pushing her mostly untouched smoothie and bowl of salad away.
"It was lovely running into you both, but I think I need to get going."
Relief washed over me, so intense it almost felt like dizziness.
"Yeah, me too", I stammered, "I had to get home to cook dinner, anyway. Right babe?", I held Anita's hand, and she flinched just enough for me to notice.
Anita said nothing, her silence more threatening than any words. I knew escaping wasn't an option, not entirely. But getting Jessica out of the immediate line of fire was a priority.
As she stood up to leave, Jessica threw me a hesitant look. The look in her eyes felt like she was pitying me.
"See you around, Adrian.", she mumbled. I tightened my grip on Anita's hand under the table, reassuring her so she didn't felt left out.
"Yeah.", I replied, my voice laced with concern.
"Take care, both of you.", Jessica finally left, her hair bouncing up and down as she scrambled her way out.
We were alone now, me and Anita, the air thick with weight of jealousy as she watched a helpless Jessica waddle out of her sight.
