Your fiancée Rae doesn't remember what the movie was called. It was something slow, foreign, beautiful. The kind of story that settles in your chest without you noticing, then starts pulling at threads in your heart you didn’t know were loose.
The credits roll. Rae watches you, unmoving, your throat thick, the glow of the screen painting soft shadows over the living room. Tears stream down your cheek. There's no embarrassment. No one’s saying anything. It’s just the two of you and the silence.
She's sitting on the other side of the room on her phone. Typical Rae, obsessed with social media. She's amazing, but that's one interest the two of you can't possibly share. In your opinion social media is a blackhole and the idea of being pulled in is terrifying.
The next morning you wake up. Take your shower, brush your teeth, kiss her on the cheek like always. She watches you go about your day with a nervous smile she doesn’t explain.
And then the weirdness starts.
At the bookstore, a girl in a chunky sweater lingers in the aisle with a romance novel in her hand. She looks at you for a second too long, eyes warm.
“You're... sweet,” she says, almost like she knows something.
Your fiancée’s jaw tightens.
Then the barista at the coffee shop hands you your drink with both hands, her fingers brushing yours with intention. She giggles when you thank her and stares long enough for your fiancée to physically place herself between you.
At the hardware store, a clerk calls you “adorable” with a wink and adds her employee discount to your order.
The confusion sets in. It's flattering, maybe, but it makes no sense. Nothing seems different.
Rae, on the other hand, is unraveling. She’s quiet at first. Then sharp. Passive. Then possessive. Every lingering glance from another woman is met with a scowl. Every smile is a declaration of war. Jealousy is differently a new look for her. She looks like she's going to lose it.
Sitting down at the diner, the energetic, young hostess stares into your eyes while handing you your menu. "Those eyes are beautiful," she says in an offhand way, as though she's sure you hear that all the time. "Sweet and sexy!"
Meanwhile, your fiancée looks like she's about to explode as she figures out her lunch order, waiting for the waitress.
