Friends

Chapter 7

Marcqwuan's POV:

I can't believe Jasmine has me drinking coffee this late. This can't be healthy. "Hey, are we going to be able to sleep tonight after having coffee at this hour?" I ask, my voice tinged with strong concern. I know I have to be up early for work tomorrow.

"It's not that late; it's just 7 pm," she replies, confusion lacing her tone.

I sigh, reminding myself that Jasmine is a night owl, not an early bird like me. My bedtime is around 9 to 10 pm, while she doesn't even think about sleep until midnight or later.

"So let me get this straight. This guy is on the island looking for love, but he already has a girlfriend back home. Why is he even on the show?" I ask, trying my best not to be out of the loop.

"That's 'Love Island.' We're not watching that; we're gonna watch 'Love Is Blind,'" she says, laughing frantically.

"Shit, I should go on that show; I'm blind," I joke, hoping to draw another laugh. I have this really bad habit of chasing laughs until the joke is dead. She laughs for a bit, but then I notice her body tense up as if she's uncomfortable.

"Marc, can we talk?" she asks timidly, her arms crossed, trying to cower within herself. She's avoiding eye contact, clearly nervous.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, my concern deepening.

"I'm done with Kendrick," she says, her voice still timid.

This is new. Usually, when she tells me she's done with Kendrick-if I remember correctly, this is about the eighth time-she's generally very angry, emotionally unstable, and manic. But this time, she seems different.

"What happened?" I ask with serious concern, my heart sinking at the thought of what might have gone wrong this time.

"He's dating my best friend," she says, her voice steady but filled with pain. "Not only that, but my best friend has known for the longest time that I've been in love with him. So, on top of losing him, I've lost her too. I think it's just best I cut myself off from them," she declares with conviction. I've never heard her speak like this before. Usually, I can tell when she's bullshitting and saying things out of raw emotion, but this time, she seems remarkably calm.

"You seem serious," I say, sensing a shift in her demeanor.

"I'm always serious," she replies, though I can't help but doubt her.

"Well, umm, let's just say your track record doesn't back up that claim," I responded nervously, fearing that I might have stepped on an eggshell.

"You're right," she admits. "I've repeatedly said that I was done with Kendrick and always ended up right back at the starting position."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's different about this time?" I inquire, genuinely curious.

"He's always the one leaving me for another woman. This time, I left him. He wanted me to be friends and act like everything was cool, but while you were grabbing coffee, I told him that I was done and blocked him on everything," she explains, a sense of finality in her voice.

"This isn't the first time you've blocked him on everything," I remind her assertively.

"I know. I always keep going back, and I have a very unhealthy attachment to him. So, I'm going to therapy," she says, her voice filled with a newfound resolve. Woah, she's going to therapy? Now I know she's being serious, but something still seems off.