𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 || 𝐣.𝐚.

004 | 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚

𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘/𝐍, Jacob is bored out of his mind. Something came up is all and that's why he was late and if it wasn't her fault that douchebag Austin swooping in, maybe Y/n and him would be at a night restaurant by now. He tried many things to get the singer off of his brain, like scrapbooking since he has yet to finish placing some photos into his portfolios. 'I want to make a portfolio for her...' Jacob suddenly thought to himself in the middle of his work, distracting him, and as soon as the woman's name popped into his mind, it wouldn't go away.

But making a portfolio of photos of her wasn't a bad idea. Ever since the idea popped up, Jacob wondered what color book he should buy. It should be her favorite color, but of course, he needed to know which it was. That and he has yet to capture any photos of Y/n, much to his dismay. It has to be perfect, or rather it needs to be.

With this in mind, Jacob leaned back in his chair, the old wood creaking softly under his weight. With a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, he removed his glasses, placing them carefully on the desk. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the familiar tension build behind his eyes. The ache of Y/n's absence gnawed at him, a constant, relentless hunger. Every minute without her was an eternity, every thought of her a sweet torture.

He found himself wondering what she was doing right now. Was she laughing with friends? Singing at the bar she frequented? The mere thought of her voice sent a shiver down his spine, a melody that played on a loop in his mind. He contemplated going into town to see if she was singing tonight. The image of her on stage, bathed in soft, warm light, her voice weaving spells over the audience, was almost too much to bear. But no, he couldn't risk it. It would look suspicious if he showed up unannounced, and if she wasn't there... well, the disappointment would be unbearable. He couldn't afford to waste time, not when every moment was so precious.

Jacob opened his eyes and reached for his glasses, slipping them back on. The room came back into sharp focus, the clutter of books and papers on his desk a stark contrast to the chaos in his mind. He leaned forward and pulled up FriendSpace on his computer, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. What should he say? How could he convey the depth of his longing without sounding desperate?

He began to type and after rereading his text a few times, he hit send.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐀𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 (@𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐡𝐬):
Did something come up at work?

He stared at the screen, his heart pounding as he waited for her response. Seconds stretched into minutes, each one a small torment as he imagined her reading his message, pondering her reply. The tiny dots indicating she was typing appeared and disappeared a few times.

Finally, a message popped up.

𝐘/𝐧 𝐋/𝐧 (@𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞):
sorta

well...actually no

its just that a friend wanted me
to come over because
they needed me for something

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐀𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 (@𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐡𝐬):
Oh. Alright.

𝐘/𝐧 𝐋/𝐧 (@𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞):
youre not mad at me, are you?

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐀𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 (@𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐡𝐬):
Course not

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐀𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 (@𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐡𝐬):
:)

And that's where their conversation ended. He watched as his latest message was marked 'read' and he then waited for the dots to reappear, for her to say something more. But nothing came. He typed a quick message, hoping to keep the conversation going.
He waited, but the dots never appeared. Before Jacob knew it, five minutes passed. Five excruciatingly long minutes, with each tick of the clock echoing in the quiet room.

The blond's relief at hearing from her began to morph into a gnawing anxiety. She had mentioned a friend but hadn't said who. The thought of this friend being a guy sent a wave of jealousy crashing over him. He stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. She hadn't even said goodbye, just left him hanging. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, anger flaring up alongside his anxiety.

He paced the room, trying to calm himself, but the thought of Y/n with another man, comforting him, being there for him, was too much. His mind conjured up images of them together, laughing, maybe even touching, and the jealousy burned hotter.

He needed to cool off.

A shower oughta help! With that, Jacob took a deep breath and decided to take a shower. Maybe by the time he was done, she would have responded.

And so, he walked to the bathroom, stripping off his clothes as he went. The shower roared to life, hot steam filling the room. He stepped under the scalding spray, letting it wash over him, trying to drown out the thoughts of Y/n with someone else but alas, each droplet felt like a pinprick against his skin. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the cool tile wall, trying to let the heat dissolve his tension.

The steam enveloped him, a thick, suffocating mist that mirrored the haze in his mind. He took deep breaths, willing his heart to slow, and his mind to clear. But thoughts of Y/n kept intruding, unbidden and relentless. The image of her with another man tormented him, stoking the flames of his jealousy. He scrubbed at his skin, trying to wash away the anger and anxiety, but the feelings clung to him stubbornly, like a second skin.

He soon tried to focus on the sensation, the rhythm of the water hitting his body, the warmth seeping into his muscles. Slowly, the physical sensations began to ground him, the anger ebbing away with each passing moment. He stood there until the water ran cold, the chill shocking him back to reality. But even as he turned off the shower and stepped out, he knew the calm was temporary, a fragile peace that could shatter at any moment as he grabbed a nearby towel and dried off.

When finished, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked back to his desk, his eyes immediately going to the screen. Nothing. His message was still left on 'read.' Jacob felt the anger rising again, a slow, simmering rage. He needed to do something, anything, to distract himself. He couldn't sit here and wait any longer. He would go out, take a walk, clear his head. Maybe then he could think straight.

But as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door, a single thought kept running through his mind: why hadn't she responded? And who was she with?

The questions gnawed at him, and he knew that no matter what he did, they wouldn't leave him alone. Not until he had answers. Not until Y/n was back in his life, where she belonged.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

A/n: I apologize for the anticlimactic chapter, everyone, I reassure you that not only will the next one be better, but longer too, and for those who are wondering, the word 'monomania' means exaggerated or obsessive enthusiasm for or preoccupation with one thing. ♡