Ethereal obsession

14. jealously

Inaya was talking to her friend, Elena, at her wedding reception. I stood by, listening with mild disinterest until Elena said something that caught my attention.

"You must love Inaya so much," Elena gushed. "The way you're holding her, it's like you're afraid someone will snatch her away."

I saw Inaya tense up beside me. I could sense the tension radiating off her, and it made me realize just how much I affected her. An opportunity presented itself, and I couldn't resist. I decided to play along, to see how far I could push her.

"Yeah, I love her more than anything in this world," I said smoothly, my voice steady and sincere. The words felt foreign on my tongue, but I delivered them flawlessly.

Inaya's reaction was immediate. Her eyes widened in shock, and she turned to glare at me, her expression a mix of surprise and accusation. She was probably questioning what I was doing, why I was saying these things.

Do I really love her? Obviously not. I would never love her. It's just that I was...attracted to her, a little bit or maybe more than a little bit.

There was something about her that drew me in, something that I couldn't quite define. But love? No, that was out of the question.

Still, watching her squirm, seeing her struggle to maintain her composure, gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.

Maybe it was because, for once, I had the upper hand. Or maybe it was because, deep down, I liked the idea of her thinking I could love her, even if it was just a fleeting thought.

Elena, oblivious to the undercurrents between us, beamed with happiness. "Oh, Inaya, you're so lucky!" she exclaimed. "I can see it in his eyes, how much he cares for you."

Inaya forced a smile, nodding along, but I could tell she was rattled. She shifted closer to me, her body language betraying her unease.

As we continued to mingle with the guests, I couldn't help but steal glances at her. She was still glaring at me, her eyes filled with questions. But I just smirked, enjoying the moment.

What was I doing? Testing her, maybe. Or maybe I was testing myself, trying to see how far I could push the boundaries of our strange, complicated relationship.

Whatever it was, I knew one thing for sure: I had no intention of letting her go, not now, not ever. And the fact that I could make her feel something, anything, gave me a sense of power that I wasn't ready to relinquish.

(⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯⁠)

I stood near the bar, nursing my drink, unable to take my eyes off Inaya. This girl was driving me insane. How could someone be this hot? Her lips-I wanted to kiss them so badly. Her tiny waist-God, how I wanted to hold her in my hands. The alcohol wasn't helping either. I'd never felt this way before. I needed to stay away from her, or I might do something we both would regret.