“Sorry, are you guys dating or something?” Jake asked, mostly looking at Tessa. She felt frozen in place. No, theyweren’tdating, but something inside of her gut made itvery hardfor her to say thatout loud.
“No...we’renot,” she finally answered after a few moments of very tense silence. Her eyes stayed glued to the ground, not able to make eye contact with Tristan.
“Sothen what’s the fucking issue, Kelly?” Jake asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “If she’s not yours then I’m pretty sure I can walk my lab partner to her next class.”
Tristan took a deep breath tosteadyhis nerves. He was known forerupting;for having poor anger management and letting his macho-ness win over his logic. But he really did not want that to happen right now. Hedidn’twant to do that to her in the middle of campus.
Tristan looked over at Tessa who was averting eye contact with him. She suddenly seemed so small and uncomfortable. Her arms were wrapped tightly aroundherselfand she moved awkwardly from side to side. He gave her a few seconds to say something, anything, in response to Jake saying that shewasn’this. Which was the truth-shewasn’t, butfuckhe wanted her to be.
After herealizedshewasn’tgoing to contribute anything to this conversation, he sighed defeatedly and began backing away, which is when her eyes finally shot up tohis.
“No problem,” Tristan said with a dry, apathetic tone. “You kids have fun.”
He turned around just in time to hear Tessa say his name, but hedidn’tstop. He continued walking down the long stretch of campus, trying his best to ignore the pull he always felt towards her. Hedidn’teven go back forhis coffee.
“I don’t know what to do, Jordan.”
Tristan sat across from his brother in the tiny apartment they shared. The twovery largemen in thevery smallone-bedroomapartment almost made it look like a fun house. It was comically ridiculous to see their largeframes draped over chairs that nearly took up the whole living room. But Jordan hadinsisted that they live together invery closequarters so that he could keep an eye on Tristan and keep him out of trouble and alsotold Tristan that it would keep him humble being the star football player living in a ‘tiny shack’ as he put it.
Jordan wastroubledby his brother’s demeanor as he sat across from him.Hewasn’tused to seeing him like this. Tristan had two moods – infectiouslyjoyfulor frighteningly angry.
Hewasn’tsure he had ever seen thisversionof Tristan. He looked sad, but a different kind of sad.
He looked...heartbroken?
Jordan was used to seeing Tristan have fun with girls. He was easy going and confident around them and usually had them following him around campus like puppy dogs.Sure,he had a fewgirlfriendshere and there but never anything long term or particularly meaningful.And hedefinitely neversaw his brother get emotionally invested in a relationship before.SoJordan was very curious what couldpossibly haveTristan, his little brother who stood almost three inches taller than him, looking like a sad little boy.
“Well,what happened exactly?” Jordan asked, cracking open a beer and lounging back into the chair.
“I told her I liked her and wanted to kissherand she shot me down.” Tristan kept his eyes downcast and focused on biting his fingernails. “And then yesterday on campus...guess whoI fucking saw her with?”
Jordan gave him a shrug, eagerly waiting for the answer.
“Jake Gardner.”
“Oh shit,” Jordancouldn’thelp the laugh that erupted. Tristan hated Jake. Everything about him was the opposite of what Tristan was, and though they played differentsports,they still ran in the same circles and had to use the samecampus gym specifically for players.
“Don’t fucking laugh bro,” Tristan let out an aggravated sigh. “The amount ofself-controlit took for me to walk away and not lay him out...”
Jordan nodded in understanding. His brother had a reputation for being a bit of a hothead,and he also stooda sturdy 5 inches taller than Jake with significantly more combat experience. He would without a doubt ‘lay him out’ as Tristan put it.
“Don’t you dare do that, you’ll get kicked off the team.”
“Yeah,no shit,that’swhy I walked away. Fuck man, seeing her with him was like a knife to my heart.”
“When did they start dating?”
“They’re not. She said they’re lab partners or whatever, but it was obvious that he’s interested in her.”
“Trist, I think you’re overreacting,” Jordan leaned forward toplacehis beer on thevery smalland beat up coffee table. “It’snot likethey’retogether or anything.She’ssingle. You spend a lot oftime with her. What exactly did she say when she turned you down? Because youhave atendencytobe dramatic.”
Tristan rolled his eyes at his older brother’s annoying words.
“She said that she thinks I’ll break her heart and that’s why she doesn’t want to get involved with me.”
“Ah,” Jordan said as the real issue becameclearer. “Well can you blame her, Trist?”
“Whose side are you on?”
