Matt gets jealous of Dani and you

“Where’s Matt?” you ask Dani, looking around the park area.

The two of you are sitting on a park bench, your arm wrapped around her waist, her head resting against your shoulder in a semi-intimate pose that you’ve been holding for the past ten minutes. The blonde math-whiz cranes her neck to the side and frowns at a biker travelling along the gravel path.

“He runs by here every week at this time,” she says, hugging her chest tightly. “He should have passed by us already...”

“We could practice for the moment he comes by,” you say, caressing her cheek. “Make out a bit, just to get a feel for it.”

“Gosh, you think that’s a good idea?” she says, looking at you nervously all of a sudden.

“Of course,” you say. “It has to look authentic, and you said you’re still new to all of this…”

Your words are cut off as Dani presses herself into your arms, kissing you deeply. You kiss her back, feeling the urgency of her passion, as if she’s got a point to prove. Your tongues meet in a blaze of heat, locking and curling up against each other in a strange embrace, and you run a hand through her hair, so long and silky.

“Mmm…” she moans into your mouth, her taste sweet in your mouth, so sweet that you think it has to be from something she’s eaten recently.

The two of you gasp for air a second later, laughing and exhilarated from the sudden spike of dopamine.

You hear somebody clear his throat in front of you, and the two of you spin to face him. He’s tall, good-looking in a put together way despite his sweatiness, an awkward non-smile resting on his face.

“Oh, Matt!” Dani exclaims, pulling away from you.

“This can’t be a coincidence,” he says flatly. “I’ve caught you two trading spit three times in as many weeks. What’s going on?”

“What can I say? It must be fate,” you shrug carelessly. “Anyways, what’s the big deal? There’s nothing wrong with two people making out in a park.”

“No, of course not,” Matt says, shaking his head. “But… it’s just…” He pauses, growing slightly flustered, and then he groans. “Dani, you told me you weren’t seriously seeing anyone!”

“I’m not,” she says, giving you a glance, trying to communicate something that you’re not sure you pick up on.

“The two of us just click well,” you say, hoping that’s what she wants. “We like spending time with each other. I wouldn’t call it that serious...”

“Okay,” Matt says, slowly. He lets out a low sigh and rubs his eyes. “Fuck, okay.”

It occurs to you that he hasn’t asked out Dani yet, and that you constantly making out with her in front of him might have inspired the wrong sorts of feelings… Whoops?

“Yeah, I mean, you two have fun I guess,” he says.

He double-taps his AirPods and sets off on a run, just as Dani calls out: “Wait!”

He whips around and stares at the two of you sitting on the park bench.

“Matt, I like you quite a bit,” Dani quickly says, half-stumbling over her words as she says the words.

“You look like you’re having lots of fun with that guy,” he replies. “I don’t understand what’s going on here, but I don’t want to be a part of it, or get between you two.”

He takes off again, this time for good.

Dani stares at him with wide eyes, and then she mumbles: “Oh no, that was so bad…”

You put a comforting arm around her, pulling her close. She lets it happen without complaint, only sniffling slightly.

As you think of how you can reassure her, you realise that you have a choice to make. Should you try to help her win Matt back? Or should you redirect her rebuffed passions towards a more convenient, available target—you?

Dani +1