Things came to a head one evening about a month before my move date. Emily had been distant, spending more time out with friends—code for Jake, I suspected. I'd seen her liking his posts again, ones where he was tagged at bars with other women, looking smug.
That night, she came home late, a bit tipsy, and plopped down on the couch with a sigh. "We need to talk, Alex."
I knew what was coming. I sat across from her, calm as ever. "Okay, what's up?"
She fiddled with her phone, avoiding my eyes. "This isn't working. You're suffocating me with all this jealousy stuff. Jake and I are just friends, but you keep making it a thing. I need space to figure out what I want."
"Space, right? What you want? Like with Jake?"
She rolled her eyes, that smug smirk creeping in. "See, there it is again. Insecure Alex. Jake gets me. He's fun, spontaneous. We talk about real stuff without all the judgment. You're always so safe. Planning everything. Turning down adventures like that Amsterdam thing because you're scared of change."
I almost laughed at the irony, but I held it in. "I turned it down for you, Emily. Three times."
She waved it off dismissively. "Whatever. The point is, I deserve someone who matches my energy. Jake's not perfect, but at least he doesn't clip my wings. I'm not saying I'm running back to him, but yeah, we're hanging out more. It's platonic mostly, but you... you're holding me back."
Her words were like knives twisted with that entitled logic.
"So, you're choosing his friendship over us?"
"God, why does it have to be a choice? But if you're forcing it, then yes. I'm not cutting him off just because you're threatened. That's manipulative, Alex. If you trusted me, this wouldn't be an issue."
Manipulative. From the woman who'd guilted me into staying put while flirting with her ex.