Pon's breathing hitched as he stared at the screen, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. The video was blurry at first, the low lighting making it difficult to make out the details. But then it came into focus, and the omega's blood ran cold.
It was Sailub.
In the video, Sailub was laughing, his arm draped around the shoulders of a beautiful omega. They were in some kind of bar or club, surrounded by people, the noise of the music and chatter faintly audible in the background. The omega was leaning into Sailub, smiling up at him with a look of adoration, and Sailub's smile in return was one Pon had only ever seen directed at himself.
He felt sick.
"No... no, no, no..." Pon whispered, his voice barely audible as he shook his head, his hands trembling. His entire body felt cold, like he was submerged in ice water. He didn't want to watch, didn't want to see any more, but his eyes were glued to the screen, unable to look away.
In the video, the other omega said something, and Sailub laughed again, the sound warm and affectionate. Then, without any hesitation, Sailub leaned down and captured the omega's lips in a deep, lingering kiss.
Pon's breath caught in his throat, a choked sound escaping his lips as tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He knew—he knew—that this was from the past, long before they had met. But it didn't stop the wave of hurt and jealousy that washed over him, the painful tightness in his chest as he watched his alpha kiss someone else so... intimately.
His thumb hovered over the screen, wanting to exit out of the message, to delete it, pretend he'd never seen it. But he couldn't move. It was like he was frozen, paralyzed by the sight of Sailub so happy, so carefree... with someone else.
"I'm being stupid," Pon whispered shakily, his voice trembling as he tried to steady his breathing. "This... this is nothing. It's from years ago. It doesn't mean anything now."
But the words sounded hollow, even to his own ears. Because deep down, a part of him couldn't help but wonder... if Sailub had looked at that omega like that before, had kissed them with so much tenderness... what if he still had feelings for them? What if Pon was just a stand-in? A replacement?
The thought made his stomach twist painfully, and Pon squeezed his eyes shut, taking in a shaky breath. "No... stop it," he murmured to himself, his voice barely a whisper. "You're overthinking. He loves you. He loves you."
But then why hadn't Sailub ever told him about this omega?
Pon opened his eyes slowly, staring at the frozen image on the screen. Sailub was smiling, his eyes bright and filled with warmth as he looked at the other omega. He looked... happy. Completely, utterly happy.
Pon swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as he tried to push back the tears that threatened to spill over. He didn't want to cry. He didn't want to feel this way. But it was so hard to fight against the pain that was tightening his chest, the doubts that whispered insidiously in the back of his mind.
Was he really enough for Sailub?
The sound of a door opening startled him, and Pon jerked his head up, his eyes wide. Sailub stepped into the room, his hair still damp from the shower, a towel slung over his shoulders. His gaze softened when he saw Pon sitting up in bed, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Morning, beautiful," Sailub murmured, his voice warm and affectionate. He crossed the room in a few quick strides, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Pon's temple. "Did you sleep well?"
Pon's heart clenched painfully at the familiar gesture, and he forced himself to smile, tucking his phone under the pillow before Sailub could see the screen. "Y-Yeah," he murmured, his voice a little strained. "I... I slept fine."
