Chapter 9: The Jealousy He Couldn't Explain

Changing my seat should not have been a big deal.

Apparently, Cole disagreed.

For the first twenty minutes of class, I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head.

I ignored him.

When the teacher asked a question, I raised my hand.

When the bell rang, I packed my books.

And when Amber deliberately bumped into my desk on her way out, I simply moved aside.

That seemed to irritate her even more.

"What's with her lately?" Amber muttered loudly.

Cole didn't answer.

I heard her sigh.

"Seriously, Cole. She's acting like she's too good for everyone now."

"Leave it," Cole said.

His voice was sharper than I expected.

Amber went quiet.

I glanced back for half a second.

Cole was looking at me.

The moment our eyes met, he looked away.

***

During lunch, I took my tray to a table near the library.

Usually, I ate with Cole.

Even when we weren't officially dating, everyone knew I always saved him a seat.

Today, I sat alone.

And honestly?

It was peaceful.

"Mind if I sit here?"

I looked up.

Ethan Hayes stood beside the table with his lunch tray.

For a moment, I was surprised.

"Of course not."

He sat across from me.

Neither of us spoke for a while.

It wasn't awkward.

That was the strange part.

With Cole, silence had always felt like something I needed to fix.

I was constantly wondering what he was thinking.

Whether he was annoyed.

Whether I was being too much.

With Ethan, I didn't feel any of that.

"Your notes are impressive," he suddenly said.

I blinked.

"My notes?"

"I saw them during group study last semester. Everything was color-coded."

I looked down at my notebook.

Most of my headings were written in pink.

I immediately felt a little self-conscious.

"You don't think it's childish?"

Ethan frowned.

"Why would I?"

I hesitated.

Then I laughed quietly.

"Long story."

He nodded.

"Well, I think they're organized."

That was it.

No joke.

No teasing.

No comment about Barbie dolls or princesses.

Just organized.

For some reason, my chest felt warm.

***

Across the cafeteria, someone slammed a fork down.

The sound made several people turn.

Cole was staring directly at our table.

Amber followed his gaze.

The moment she saw Ethan sitting with me, her expression changed.

"Oh," she said slowly. "So that's what this is."

Cole looked at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aurora isn't ignoring you because she's mad anymore."

Amber smiled.

"She found someone else to follow around."

Cole's face darkened.

"Don't talk about her like that."

Amber blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Cole didn't respond.

But his eyes returned to me.

Ethan was saying something.

I laughed.

A real laugh.

Not the forced kind I had been using for the past few weeks.

Cole's hand tightened around his fork.

He couldn't explain why the sight bothered him so much.

He had a girlfriend now.

He was the one who had told Aurora to stop being dramatic.

He was the one who had walked away.

So why did it feel wrong to see someone else sitting in the place that had always been his?

***

After lunch, I walked toward the science building with Ethan.

We had discovered that we were both applying for the same academic program.

For the first time in a long while, I found myself talking about my future.

Not about Cole.

Not about relationships.

My future.

What university I wanted to attend.

What subjects interested me.

The places I wanted to visit.

The person I wanted to become.

I was halfway through telling Ethan about a summer program when someone stepped directly into my path.

Cole.

I stopped.

Ethan looked between us.

"Do you need something?" I asked.

Cole's eyes flickered toward Ethan.

"I need to talk to you."

"Then talk."

"Privately."

I folded my arms.

"No."

His jaw tightened.

"Aurora."

"Cole."

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then Ethan calmly stepped back.

"I'll see you later."

Before I could respond, Cole grabbed Ethan's arm.

The hallway went silent.

"You can go now."

My expression instantly turned cold.

"Take your hand off him."

Cole froze.

I stepped forward.

"You don't get to touch people because you're angry."

The words landed harder than I intended.

Cole slowly released Ethan.

His face changed.

For the first time since the slap, genuine shame crossed his eyes.

"Aurora, I didn't mean—"

"That's the problem," I interrupted.

My voice was calm.

"You never mean to."

I walked past him.

Ethan followed beside me.

Behind us, Cole remained standing in the middle of the hallway.

And for the first time, I think he finally understood.

I wasn't trying to make him jealous.

I wasn't waiting for him to apologize.

I wasn't playing a game.

I was actually leaving.

And he was beginning to realize that losing me felt very different from letting me go.