I Too Had An Unrequited Love Story

44- The Fine Line of Jealousy

Andrea's voice rang out warmly, cutting through the gentle murmur of the crowd. "Veronica, honey, I just knew this dress was made for you. You look absolutely stunning."

Arek stiffened slightly as he heard his mother's compliment. His suspicions were confirmed when Veronica smiled back at Andrea, her voice sincere. "Thank you so much, Andrea, for the dress. I really do love it."

Veronica's words were kind, but she pointedly ignored Arek, whose arm was wrapped firmly around her waist. His face tightened with visible irritation as he turned toward his mother. "Mom, you got her this?" he asked, his tone bordering on disbelief.

Veronica glanced at him, irritation flashing in her eyes. She wasn't in the mood for another of Arek's outbursts about the dress.

Andrea, ever the orchestrator of chaos, smirked mischievously at her son. "Of course I did. The moment I saw this dress, I knew it was perfect for her. She has the grace and confidence to pull it off beautifully."

Arek's expression was one of incredulity, his annoyance barely contained. "Why is that a problem?" Andrea asked, clearly enjoying her son's discomfort as she watched him steal glances at Veronica, who remained blissfully unaware of his internal struggle.

Arek muttered something under his breath before shaking his head. "No, no problem," he grumbled, sounding more like he was convincing himself than anyone else.

Andrea's gaze shifted to Veronica, concern and amusement mingling in her expression. "Honey, are you cold?"

Veronica smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm fine, Andrea. Really, I'm comfortable."

Andrea, not one to let an opportunity slip by, raised her eyebrows innocently. "Then why don't you take off that blazer? The dress would look even more stunning without it."

Arek groaned, barely containing his exasperation at his mother's suggestion. He cast a quick, warning glance at Andrea, who responded with a coy smile, fully aware of how much she was pushing her son's buttons.

Veronica, completely unaware of Andrea's subtle manipulation, nodded. "I was actually thinking the same thing, Andrea." She moved to slip off the blazer, but Arek's arm tightened around her waist, refusing to let her budge even an inch.

"No," Arek muttered, his voice tense. "Keep it on. It's cold."

Veronica turned to face him, her annoyance flaring. "Arek, I can decide for myself whether I'm cold or not."

That was all it took for him to loosen his grip immediately, sensing that he was treading on dangerous ground. He groaned again, this time more resigned, but said nothing further. His arm fell away, and Veronica wasted no time slipping the blazer off, handing it to him.

"Here," she said, pushing the jacket into his hands. But instead of taking it, Arek simply glanced at her and muttered, "Keep it."

Veronica shot him a look of disbelief. "Arek, I don't need it, and I already have enough to carry. I'm not going to add your blazer to the pile."

Without a word, Arek finally relented and took the jacket, slipping it back on himself with a slight huff. Nearby, Aiden leaned over to Andrea, whispering with a chuckle, "Honey, you're really enjoying teasing him, aren't you?"

Andrea giggled softly, smacking Aiden lightly on the arm, eliciting a warm laugh from him. Their shared amusement didn't go unnoticed by Veronica, Arek, and even Austin, who had been quietly observing the interaction.

Arek, clearly eager to move on from the uncomfortable family scene, leaned down and whispered in Veronica's ear, "Cake, let's go meet some more people."