Jacob increased his grip on the neck of his beer bottle. He straightened his back uncomfortably. With a slight growl he turned on his bar stool to face the wall of alcohol and took a swig of his beer.
Eve leant back against the bar and nudged his arm, "Give it a rest Stone, she's happy." She looked back towards the small dance floor and her smile returned at the sight before her.
Stone huffed into his drink. He didn't want to look. He didn't want to think about this anymore. The dance floor wasn't much, but the atmosphere within the bar was electric. He hadn't seen her like this before and he didn't like it. He didn't want her. But he didn't want to see her with anyone else.
Jacob knew he had missed his chance. He had only recently truly gotten over her betrayal and had began to trust her fully. He could appreciate art and knew in his heart that she was a masterpiece. Beautiful, elegant and exactly the opposite of what he usually liked. That's what intrigued him. From their first interaction, he couldn't deny his attraction to her.
He wasn't expecting the hurricane that was Cassandra Cillian.
Now she had her full life in front of her and he knew that she would be taking every opportunity to experience new things. She had been on his mind constantly since her surgery. He knew that she had made an instant connection with the gorgeous brunette in the holistic spa. But he hadn't thought it would go further than stolen glances and Cassandra's wide heart eyes.
He turned slowly on his stool to face the centre of the dance floor and let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. A flurry of red hair caught his eye. Her eyes were closed and she had a small smile on her face. Estrella's hands were around her waist pulling her close. She threaded her hands through the brunette's hair and brought their lips together. The small space was packed with drunken twenty and thirty-somethings, all too caught up in their own dance partners to notice anyone else. They broke apart, Cassandra twirling and pressing her back against her girlfriend who then wrapped her arms around her. They swayed gently to the thumping beat, oblivious to the fast music.
It wasn't fair. He knew they wouldn't work. He didn't want her, but the thought of her with someone else irked him. He knew he was being selfish. He wanted her to be happy, but he wanted to be involved in her happiness somehow.
Cassandra's voice interrupted his inner monologue.
"This is so much fun, why don't we do this all the time?"
Estrella leaned over the bar to order drinks.
Eve laughed at the younger girl's enthusiasm, "I didn't know that you were such a good dancer, Red."
Cassandra blushed at the comment, "I didn't really get the chance to do this before…"
Estrella laughed, dropping her head onto Cassandra's shoulders.
He felt horrible. He was the worst friend. He knew they were perfect together. Cassandra and he were never meant to be together. She was meant for better things. Someone to appreciate her and show her what she had been missing. Estrella was the perfect person for that job. And he had been trying to ignore that pesky thought since he had met her.
The girls continued to talk amongst themselves while Jake necked the rest of his beer. Ezekiel had long since left the bar with Cindy. He wanted what his friends all had. He had finally come to the conclusion that that wouldn't be with Cassandra. But that didn't mean he couldn't find it. He let the thought wash over him as he caught Eve's knowing eye. It was almost as if she had been inside his mind listening all along. She winked as she brought her drink to her lips and turned her attention back to the beaming couple. Jake tipped his head and left the bar. Leaving all thoughts of Cassandra behind him with his empty bottle. He didn't want her. But he was warming up to the idea of her with someone else.
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I had been listening to the 1975 – Somebody Else and couldn't shake the thought of Jake being jealous of Estrella. These were pretty much ramblings that hopefully make sense and don't seem too out of the blue or out of character. Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a comment!
